Chosen by the Moon
by Aquacoral14
Summary: When four girls, Liz, Marie, Ava, and Jemma, go on a camping trip to the mysterious Isla la Luna, they are drawn by the moon to a magical place and transformed into mermaids. They are gifted with extraordinary abilities, and have to hide their secret from the ones they love. This is the tale of four girls chosen by the moon. Four girls who are mermaids.
1. Chapter 1: Transformation

Disclaimers: I have never been to the island mentioned in this fic, and I don't even know if there is a real 'Isla la Luna' anywhere in the world. So I don't own that. I don't own H20 either, but I do own Liz, Marie, Ava, and Jemma, as well as any OC characters in this.

Enjoy!

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Chapter One

Transformation

Elizabeth Moore's brown eyes fluttered open, staring blearily at the ceiling. She glanced around, looking for what had woken her up. Nobody and nothing. Then her phone buzzed again, vibrating against the white-painted wood of her desk. The brown-haired girl dragged herself out of bed, stumbling over to the desk and picking up her phone. On the screen, a message glowed, from Marie Jackson. _Wake up, sleepyhead. My dad wants me to go on this 'super-fun family camping trip' on one of the nearby islands. Want to come? Please, don't leave me hanging alone with only my family to keep me company._ Liz chuckled. Marie was one of Liz's best friends, the others being Ava Harris and Jemma Thompson. Marie could also be quite a drama queen at times, but it only made Ava, Jemma, and Liz like her more. _Yes. I'll talk to my parents. How long, when, and where? And really, I thank you for waking me up at such a god-forsaken hour of the morning,_ Liz typed back. Sarcasm was her specialty, and she had honed it to perfection. The phone buzzed again quickly, the message reading: _Ha ha. It's already nine. This is not early, even for a Saturday. The trip will be for two days, this coming Saturday, and it'll be on one of the Keys. Place is called 'Isla la Luna'. I think it's Spanish._ Liz rolled her eyes, imagining Marie grinning. _I planned to sleep as long as I could. Now go pester someone else_ _J_ _. Thanks for the info. And duh, it's Spanish. We took Spanish in middle school, remember?_ The reply was prompt. _Very well. I shall leave her royal laziness to sleep for as long as she wishes. Or until night falls again, whichever cometh first. And I promptly forgot all of my Spanish as soon as I didn't have to prove that I knew anything._ Elizabeth padded over to her closet, consigning herself to the fact that since she was awake, she might as well get dressed.

Twenty minutes later, (and half of the house's hot water) Liz stood in front of the bathroom mirror, carefully applying a light layer of blue eyeshadow. She was wearing a royal blue halter top and jean shorts. Her brown hair, which typically stretched half way down her back, was done in a messy bun. A pair of dangling silver teardrop earrings and a touch of pink lip gloss completed her ensemble. A sharp knock on the door disrupted the quiet, accompanied by the voice of her 13 year old sister, Jenny. "Liz! I need the bathroom!" Jenny was two years younger than Liz, who was 15, and they had been very close as kids. But as Liz became a teenager, and Jenny stayed a kid, they drew apart. "Okay, Jenny. I'll be out in a sec." The older girl closed her makeup case with a snap, unlocking the door and letting her sister in. "Thank you." Jenny closed the door as Liz walked back to her room.

Over breakfast, Liz brought up the topic of her going camping with Marie and her family. "How long will this trip be for?" Her mom, Hannah, asked. "Two days. We'd stay there for the second weekend before school starts again. Marie was going to text Ava and Jemma to ask if they could come, so it'd be six of us if they can come, not counting me." "And where did you say it was again?" Her dad, Richard, interjected. "On one of the smaller keys. Isla la Luna." Her dad nodded slowly. "I think it'll be okay if you go. As long as you promise to be responsible. This Marie girl is a little too much of a rebel to me." Liz smiled in relief. She could go! _Though only if mom permits it_ , she reminded herself. She glanced hopefully at the brown-haired figure of her mother. Her mom picked at her cereal. "I don't know…." She finally said. "You'll be out in the ocean, miles from land, with only Marie's family and your friends." "Mom, Marie's been my friend for years. They took care of me when you were sick with pneumonia." Her dad nodded again. "I say we let her go." Her mom finally conceded. "Alright. You can go." "Thanks mom. Thanks dad." Liz got up from her seat, carrying her empty bowl of cereal. She stopped in the kitchen, pulling out her flip-top phone to text Marie and tell her the good news.

A week later, Marie tossed the navy bag into the motorboat, the metal tent poles clattering against each other. It was Saturday, and they were heading off on their camping trip. "Be careful with that!" Her mom, Hannah Jackson, called. She was sitting next to Marie's older brother, Chris. Marie rolled her eyes, clambering out of the boat. Her pink flip-flops slapped against the concrete dock as she walked over to Ava, Jemma, and Liz. Marie was a black-haired girl whose curly hair stretched halfway down her back. She was pale-skinned, but she tanned instead of burning. Her friends all burned, and there was always a bit of playful envy whenever someone got sunburnt. She was an average height, being 5'6", but constantly thought she was short and wore shoes when heels whenever she could. The black-haired girl leaned against the railing beside the others, enjoying the sea air on her face. "Planning on getting a tan?" Ava asked. "Maybe…." Marie grinned. "Jealous?" "A little." Ava's loose red hair blew in front of her freckled face, and the girl brushed it out of her green eyes. Ava's dad was British, and she took after him. Her mom was a platinum blond American from Tennessee, and a lot of people thought that they were friends or something, instead of related. She was also on the tall side of average, but preferred to stay invisible among a crowd rather than standing out like Marie. Her clothes reflected that, which was why she was wearing a pair of jean capris and a green blouse with brown strappy sandals. Jemma laughed. "Every time. Ava, you do know that there is something called fake tan, right?" Ava laughed along with her. Jemma's hair was dark brown and wavy, reaching halfway down her back as well. She had grey eyes and freckles, and preferred to wear contacts rather than glasses. She was wearing a pair of jean shorts and a blue tank top with a white jacket over the top. Blue flip flops and two little diamond stud earrings completed her outfit. Liz glanced out at the distant shape of Isla la Luna. "It'll be interesting to visit one of the islands. I've never really been out there." The other girls nodded in agreement. Liz was clad in a pink tunic with shorts that barely poked out from under the long fabric, gold sandals, and little gold flower earrings. Her long brown hair was down, letting the playful breeze play with it. "Girls! Time to go!" Mr. Jackson, Marie's dad called. The four friends hurried over, sitting down in the boat and chatting among themselves as the engine started and they sped towards Isla la Luna.

Ava splashed into the shallows, helping pull the boat up to the shore. The island wasn't all that large, mostly beaches with a little bit of jungle and a large… hill? In the center. It couldn't really be called a mountain, but it was too large to really be called a hill. She and Liz picked up the tent and the cooler of food, setting it down on the sand. "So do we set up the tent here?" Ava called. "Yes. We'll camp here on the beach since it's so nice," Mr. Jackson called back. Within 30 minutes, although with a few tent-related difficulties, they had a campsite set up. Night was starting to fall, the dying sun painting the sky in shades of violet and rose. The five people sat around the fire, roasting hot dogs on wooden skewers. Ava raised her hot dog to her mouth, taking a bite right off the wood and fanning her mouth to cool it. She set the empty skewer down on the top of the cooler, standing. "I'm going to go swimming. Anybody want to come?" Jemma nodded eagerly, and Liz and Marie followed them into the tent. They emerged, all of them clad in different colored swimsuits. Jemma wore a pink and purple striped one-piece, Ava wore a yellow and green striped bikini, Liz wore a blue bikini with purple straps, and Marie was wearing a plain red bikini. They ran for the water, racing each other and laughing as they splashed into the surf. Ava waded out further, then slid under the waves. She glided through the water, her green eyes flicking lazily from one thing to another. She loved the ocean. Cool water slid smoothly over her skin, making her loose red hair fan out in a rosy cloud. A school of silvery fish scattered as she soared past them, her bare feet kicking in the water. She slowly rose towards the surface, taking a breath as she surfaced near the shore. "We should get back," She said as Marie, Liz, and Jemma surfaced beside her. "The sea can be dangerous at night." She ducked back under as she swam in.

As the four girls slept, the glowing orb that was the full moon rose over the island. The beaches were painted in silver light, the leaves of the forest gleaming like they were forged of burnished metal. Slowly, Liz's eyes fluttered open. She sat up, her brown eyes gleaming like twin moons for an instant. Marie, Ava, and Jemma woke slowly, all four of them rising from their sleeping bags. Marie led the way out of the campsite, the girls making their way into the forest as if drawn by an invisible string. They moved through the forest, stopping before a small waterfall. Marie glanced up at the moon, the light making her face look alien. The black-haired girl seemed to glide across the slippery rocks, suddenly vanishing through a dark hole. Ava, Liz, and Jemma followed, disappearing into the earth.

Marie landed hard on her bottom, blinking wildly and shaking her head. She looked up, staring around. "What the hell?" She stood, brushing sand off of her PJ bottoms. A scuffling sound startled her, and seconds later, Ava, Liz, and Jemma all crashed into each other on the sand. "Get. Off. Me." Ava growled, shoving the other girls off of her back. "Where on earth are we? The last thing I remember is falling asleep in the tent," Liz said. Jemma peered up the tunnel they had fallen down, trying to climb up. "It's too steep. We can't get up that way." Ava glanced around, her green eyes scanning the cave for a way out. "Hey. It looks like there's an opening over there," She said, leading the way through the cleft in the rock. They stepped into a larger cave, their eyes met by an impossibly beautiful sight. Before them, a perfectly circular pool of royal blue water sat, undisturbed. High above, an opening pierced the rock and ringed the glowing silver moon. "I'll check if there's a way out through the water," Liz said. She waded into the water, ducking under. She returned quickly. "There's a tunnel that leads to the outside. We can escape through there." The other three nodded, quickly wading into the water to join Liz. As soon as they all floated within the pool, the moon reached its peak over the island. The pool began to bubble, tiny droplets seeming to drift down from the moon and collect on their skin. They looked like they were glowing silver, like luminous beings instead of ordinary, earthbound creatures. The girls looked up at the moon, their eyes reflecting it, spellbound. As soon as the moon's edge touched the rock rim, the spell was broken. Marie shook her head, dispelling the remnants of the moon's power. "Wow…" Liz breathed. "What was that?" "I don't know," The black-haired girl answered. "We have to get back." The four dove beneath the faintly bubbling water, making their way back to the shore.

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This is my first published H20 story, so please review and don't flame. Constructive criticism in very much accepted.


	2. Chapter 2: Discovery

Chapter Two

Discovery

The four girls slumbered deeply, ensconced in their sleeping bags. Their closed eyes flickered back and forth, watching the events of their dreams. They swam as one through the ocean, underwater, with no land in sight. Back, forth, back again, their eyes flickered. Silvery fish swam past them, swarming around the four girls. They looked at each other. Something was different. In place of their legs, four elegant tails stretched, moving up and down as they moved through the water. The dream changed to nighttime, and they were looking up at the moon through the hole in the cave. The same glowing droplets covered them, swirling around them in a glistening, ethereal storm. "Girls…." Something whispered. "Girls… It's time to get up."

The eyes of the four girls snapped open and they looked around. Liz blinked sleepily, looking around for what woke her up. Hannah Jackson had her head poked inside the tent, saying, "Get up." She noticed that Liz was awake. "Good, you're up. Tell the others that breakfast is ready." Hannah left, leaving them in silence. "mmmhhh…" Marie grumbled as she struggled upright. She suddenly shot up, looking around at the other three girls. "What happened last night?" She asked quietly. "All I remember is waking up in that cave and making our way back here," Jemma replied in a whisper. "Should we tell your parents?" Ava asked Marie. "No." The answer came not from Marie, but from Liz. "We shouldn't tell them." "Why?" Jemma looked at her. "I don't know why. But we can't tell them. Don't you feel it? Something is telling you to keep this a secret. It's telling all of us." Ava stared at the brown-haired teen. "You're right."

The four teenagers ate canned ravioli for breakfast and decided to go swimming. Their swim last night had been interrupted by the fall of darkness, and the sea was too beautiful not to go swimming in. They changed into their bathing suits, taking their towels and making their way to a section of beach near an outcropping of rock. Ava laid her teal striped towel on the sand, calling, "Race you to the water!" The others gleefully accepted her challenge and within a moment, they were dashing into the surf. The girls dove into the water, vanishing among the waves. Jemma glided through the water, forming a graceful curve as she rose towards the surface with her friends. "I almost forgot how much I loved this, with life being so hectic and all," The brown-haired girl grinned. She felt her legs start to tingle, almost like the feeling when your legs were falling asleep. She glanced down, then did a double take when she saw what floated beneath her in the water. In place of her legs, there was a glimmering, emerald green, fish tail. Her eyes shot wide open and she looked around wildly. The other girls stared at her, before looking down at themselves. Ava had a silvery-white tail, similar to mother-of-pearl. Marie's legs had transformed into a glistening ruby tail, while Liz's tail was an impossibly beautiful iridescent blue. They stared at each other. "AHHHH!"

o0O0o

"What. The. Hell?!" Marie swore in a whisper. "I have no idea," Jemma whispered back, just as shocked as the others. Her one-piece had somehow been sliced in half neatly and was now just a tanktop over the beginning of her emerald green tail. "It must have been that cave last night. The one with the moon, and the pool, and all those little glowing droplets." Ava looked down at herself, eyes wide. "We have to get back to the beach. Maybe, if we dry off, we'll turn back," Liz suggested. "There's one problem. How do we swim with _tails?_ "

Marie looked down at herself, trying to kick her legs. Her tail moved back and forth, keeping her somewhat up. "Hmmm." She ducked under, her ruby fins splashing the others. The black-haired girl floated under the water, her cheeks puffed out as she held her breath. She tried to move her feet, her fins twitching. A grin slowly spread across her face. She pointed her arms out in front of her, and started to move her tail up and down. She could swim! With a tail! The other girls followed her lead, though it took more than a few tries to get going. Liz had the easiest time of it, since she had practiced swimming like a mermaid as a kid. The four teenagers made their way to the shore, hiding behind an outcropping of rock as they dragged themselves onto the sand. Ava dragged herself up the beach using her arms. "Holy crap this thing is heavy," She grumbled. Finally, all of them were up above the water, beached on the sand like a pod of whales. "So…. What? Do we wait for the sun to dry us?" The red-haired mermaid asked. "That's my guess," Liz replied. A minute passed. Then three. Then five. Finally, Ava felt her tail tingle and she looked behind her. She had legs again! And feet, and no scales. "Thank god that worked." Marie hauled herself to her feet, dusting sand off of herself.

"Did you have a good swim?" Marie's mom asked when the four girls returned to camp. "Uh… yeah. It was interesting." Marie grinned nervously. "That's nice. Your dad got a call, and we have to cut the trip short," Hannah Jackson informed her daughter. "Oh. Okay." Marie's dad was a businessman, and he frequently had to go away on long trips, or cut trips short. He really wasn't there a lot. Slightly dejected, Marie trudged back to her friends. "We have to cut the trip short. Dad has to leave. Again." The other girls made sympathetic comments. They all knew how Marie's family was.

Liz glanced over at the beach, an idea coming to her as a way to pass the time. "Why don't we do a few… experiments? Learn more about our… _mermaidness,"_ She whispered the word, looking around to make sure no one else heard her. Ava nodded, and Jemma smiled. She liked experiments. She especially liked knowing what was going on. They trooped back to the beach, behind the rocks.

o0O0o

"Alright! I'm starting the timer…. Now" Jemma said, starting the timer on her iPhone. Ava stepped into the surf. Nine seconds passed, and on the tenth, she toppled into the waves with a silver-white tail. Jemma stopped the timer. "So, we have proved that it takes ten seconds for all of us to transform." Liz nodded. "I don't see how this helps us." "This way, we know how much time we have to hide if one of us gets splashed in public." Jemma looked at her sternly. "The more we know about this, the more we can do to hide it." The brown-haired teen scientist looked down at her phone again. "Your turn Liz." She picked up the water bottle at her feet, looking expectantly at the other girl. Liz rolled her eyes, holding out her left hand. Jemma let a single drop of water fall onto the other girl's skin, stepping back and counting ten seconds under her breath. Right on the dot, Liz's legs shimmered, transforming into her scaly blue tail. She toppled backwards, landing on the golden sand with a thump. Jemma set the stopwatch, watching the seconds tick upwards. "Now, we have to see if there's a set length of time that we remain a mermaid on land." It took four minutes for Liz's tail to disappear, shorter than it had taken them to change back the first time. "Huh. It appears that the length depends on how much water was on our skin at the time of transformation..." Jemma scribbled her numbers down in a notebook, under the label 'MR'. "What does MR stand for?" Ava asked. She had dragged herself out of the water, and hoisted herself up by grabbing Jemma's arm. "Ava! You're wet!" The scientist cried. Soon enough, she thudded to the sand beside Ava. She turned to cast an exasperated look at the other mermaid, explaining, "MR stands for Mermaid Research. I want to know more, and don't worry. I'll hide it well." "What?" Marie crouched down near Jemma, glaring at the mermaid. "You are doing research?! And you're writing it down. Jem, there can't be any evidence! What if someone found out? We could be hauled off to some government lab and dissected! Or we could be locked up for what we are! Haven't you ever seen X-Men?" "I'll be careful!" "Careful? Even the best-laid plans can be horribly wrong. Even the world's best kept secret might be leaked." "Are you saying you can't trust me? It's my life too!" Jemma and Marie glared at each other. Jemma's tail disappeared, and the girl immediately got up and ran towards the water. "Jemma!" Ava cried out. But the brown-haired girl ignored her, diving headfirst into the waves and disappearing.

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Yes, another chapter is up! I don't really have a schedule for updates, but I'm aiming for at least once a week and maybe once every two days. Enjoy, and please review! (Also wish me luck since I'm going to a dance for my local homeschool group)

Aqua :)


	3. Chapter 3: Challenges

This one's full of nice details (Or so I think. I might be biased since I'm the author) so as a reward, could I please have at least _one_ review? Reviews are like food to authors, so do this poor starving writer a favor and feed her?

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Chapter Three

Challenges

Jemma Thompson swam fast through the water, bubbles around her and her hair streaming behind her. Once she was far enough from Ava and Liz and _Marie,_ she stopped. There was no land in sight, just blue water and blue sky. The mermaid slowly surfaced, looking around. She floated on her back, letting the tears begin to fall. "Why won't they trust me?" She whispered to the distant, barely visible waning moon. "We've been friends for three years. I've kept all of their secrets. Which boys they like, how badly they want something, but don't say it so that they don't make their parents feel bad… Ava even told me how she was afraid of the dark. So why can't they trust me now, when it's my secret too?" _It's Marie,_ her brain whispered. _Marie wants to control everything and she's turning the others against you._ "No!" Jemma cried. A trio of seagulls were startled by her cry, flying onwards instead of landing in the water. The green-scaled mermaid wiped the heel of her hand against her cheek, casting the tears into the seawater. She slipped under, her fins splashing the surface of the ocean. She pointed her hands in front of her, beating her tail powerfully. Within an instant, she was speeding back towards Isla la Luna.

Ava, Marie, and Liz walked slowly down the beach. "You drove her away," Ava finally said accusingly to Marie. The black-haired girl looked wide-eyed at her. "I didn't drive her away. She wasn't being careful enough, and I told her that." "Yes, you did. You don't trust her." "Of course I trust her! But this is the biggest secret of our lives, and involves all of us." Ava narrowed her green eyes, the usually sunny and warm green turning sharp and cold. "Yes. It is. Jemma has kept all of our secrets over the years. I told her my biggest secret, and she has kept it and _never_ told _anyone._ I'm afraid of the dark. I told her that, and she didn't laugh. I knew that you would. I trusted her, and you don't." The red-head marched towards the water, her entire demeanor cold and harsh. "And that's why I'm going to go find her," She said before diving into the water. Liz looked after her helplessly.

"Jemma!" Ava poked her head out of the water, calling for her friend. "Jemma!" An emerald streak shot past her, popping up beside the white-tailed mermaid. "Ava." Jemma's face was still red, showing that she had been crying. "Jem, I'm so sorry about what happened with Marie. She's just trying to protect our secret." The green-scaled mermaid looked with red-rimmed eyes at her friend. "I know. But she doesn't trust me." Tears welled up in Ava's green eyes and she reached out and hugged her friend. "I trust you." A smile broke over Jemma's face, and she relaxed into the hug.

"Marie!" Hannah Jackson called, marching up to Liz and her daughter. "It's time to go! Where are Jemma and Ava?" "Ummm…." Marie's brain whirled, trying to think of an excuse. "They're in the woods. Nature called," Liz interjected. Marie breathed a silent sigh of relief. "Alright." Hannah accepted the lie. "Tell them it's time to go and come to the boat when they get back." She marched off again, yelling at Chris, Marie's older brother, to 'be careful with those shells!' "We have to go find Ava and Jemma." Liz stared at Marie. "I'll go. I don't think they'll be too happy to see you." Elizabeth ran towards the water, intent on diving in. "Liz! Wait!" The familiar voice of Ava stopped her. Jemma and Ava were standing a short ways away, completely dry. "It's time to go," Liz told them. "Jemma, I'm sorry about what Marie said." "It's okay," The other girl said. "You don't have to apologize." Marie ignored the subtle emphasis on _you_ , choosing instead to start walking towards the motorboat.

By the time the sun started to sink below its zenith, the seven people were packed into the motorboat. Liz eyed the water nervously. She hoped desperately that she and her friends wouldn't be revealed so shortly after they had become mermaids. Mr. Jackson started the engine and they started motoring towards land. Spray fanned out on either side of the boat, the four girls shying away from the water. Halfway to the mainland, a drop of water splashed onto Marie's hand. Her eyes opened wide, and she quickly scrubbed the liquid off of her with a towel. "It's only water, darling," Hannah Jackson said. Her daughter grinned nervously, silently praying that they wouldn't have any more scares.

The boat pulled up to the dock without further incident, and the group hauled all of the assorted luggage to the Jackson house. Ava set the tent down on Marie's porch, breathing a sigh of relief as the weight was lifted from her shoulders. "Thanks for your help girls!" Hannah called as Ava, Liz, and Jemma waved goodbye and started down the road towards their respective houses. All of their houses were in the same neighborhood, with the exception of Ava's. The Harris's were loaded with money, as Ava's mom was the owner of a large law firm, and they had a big house near the beach, with a pool and everything. A black Subaru pulled up alongside them, and the door opened. Ava's dad, Mr. Harris, sat at the wheel. "Come on Ava," He said. Ava rolled her green eyes, getting into the car. "Bye guys," She called to Liz and Jemma. "I'll see you later." The door closed and she drove away.

"Where's mom?" Ava Harris asked her father, fiddling with the radio. "Your mother is out of town. She left last night." The song 'Ignite' by Skye Holland, came on, filling the car with sound. Disappointment fluttered in Ava's chest. This time, her mom hadn't even bothered to tell her daughter that she would be gone when Ava got back from her camping trip.

 _On the road  
All alone tonight  
City lights  
Flash ahead in time_

 _The worlds are falling from the sky_  
 _And I am searching for a spark of life_

They drove through the posh neighborhood of Palm Beach, large elegant houses passing by. There weren't any kids out, even though it was perfect weather. The entire neighborhood was sad, full of people with more money than they knew what to do with and kids who were only interested in playing video games and guzzling soda.

 _Every night I hear it coming  
Yeah the writings on the wall  
It's the key to my survival  
Ignite my heart, Ignite my heart_

 _On the edge  
I wanna feel alive  
I wanna feel the rush  
Suspended in time_

The black car pulled up to a white-painted modern house, Ava's dad turning the car off and cutting the song short. "Go on inside. I've got some stuff to do," Mr. Harris said. His daughter got out of the car, taking her bag with her and walking up to the house. The car pulled out of the driveway, leaving Ava alone in her house. Again.

The red-haired girl walked through the spotless white entry way, hurrying past the white, sickeningly perfect living room and kitchen. She thundered up the stairs, pulling a metal key from the pocket of her shorts and unlocking the door to her room. She always locked her room, or else (Despite her many reiterations of 'leave my room alone') her parents would tell the maid to clean it anyway. Ava's room was painted a beautiful turquoise, with a white, cushy bed. A small balcony was in the upper right corner, with teal curtains covering the glass door. A white-painted desk sat on the same wall as the balcony, with a set of little drawers in a corner and a pencil/pen holder in the other. The rest of it was clutter, with books scattered in piles and little trinkets everywhere. A white bookshelf sat along another wall, with more books everywhere on it and trinkets such as shells and little gifts from assorted people and pictures on the top shelf. A metal jewelry tree stood in the left corner, its branches decked with necklaces and bracelets. The entrance to her bathroom/walk-in-closet was next to the bookshelf and was covered in a beaded curtain. Ava dropped her bag on the bed, flopping onto the messy white comforter. An idea struck her, and the teen got to her feet, digging through her bag for her bathing suit.

Five minutes later, Ava was standing on the white tile before her pool. There was a tall wooden fence surrounding the patio, for privacy, and she had already locked the one gate. She took a deep breath, crouching down and slipping into the cool water. _7, 8, 9, 10!_ She counted down in her head as she tread water. For a terrible instant, her legs were still there and Ava wondered sadly if it had just been a temporary thing. Then her legs tingled and transformed into her elegant, iridescent white tail. The red-haired girl grinned, diving under the water.


	4. Chapter 4: Learning Curve

I guess today is the day for updates! Two for LotLK 2, and one for here. Well, enjoy this, please gift me with a review after I spent most of the day getting my brace adjusted, and... uhh... please review again?

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Chapter Four

Learning Curve

Marie was walking along the road that lead to the beach, heading for her job at the local Starbucks, located on the waterfront. Her braided black hair was over one shoulder, and she was wearing a three-quarter-sleeved red top. Jean shorts, gold flipflops, and a gold necklace with her name on it completed the look. Five minutes later, Marie opened the door to the Starbucks and hurried to get ready for the morning rush. She took up her position at the drive-thru window, a green apron over her clothes. The first car pulled up to the window, and her shift began.

At 10:00, Marie's shift would be over. She glanced at the clock. 9:45. Fifteen minutes until she could go home. As the teenager was handing a latte to a customer, one of the new hires tripped behind her, spilling coffee on the other girl and sending the plastic cup clattering to the floor. Time seemed to slow. The customer drove away, Marie spun around, starting to run. _6….. 5…. 4…. 3…_ With two seconds to spare, Marie dashed into the bathroom and closed the door. Immediately, her legs tingled and the black-haired girl fell to the floor with an iridescent red tail. She was still wearing her top and apron, though her shorts and shoes had vanished. The mermaid rolled over, looking at her tail with a sigh. "Marie? Are you okay?" The voice of Emily, the girl who had spilled coffee on her, called through the door. "I'm okay," Marie called back. "I'm sorry about spilling coffee on you," were Emily's parting words as the 16-year-old went to clean up her mess. The red-scaled mermaid let herself fall back onto the floor, sighing. She hoisted herself up, using the rim of the sink to reach the paper towels.

Five minutes and a ton of paper towels later, Marie was sitting on the floor with legs again. She stood, opening the door.

Liz Moore curved through the water, bubbles rising around her. She glided past schools of silvery fish, diving behind rocks and seaweed. Behind the girl, in place of her legs, a shimmering, iridescent tail propelled her through the water. _This. Is. Amazing._ Liz thought happily. The mermaid rose to the surface, swimming over to the outcropping of rock that she had stashed her clothes and phone. She hoisted herself half-out of the water, picking up her phone and texting Ava. _Swimming is AWESOME. Want 2 come over?_ The reply was prompt, as always. _Sure. Meet ur house? Yes. See ya._ Liz dragged herself further out onto the sand of the empty, secluded section of unused beach. The sun dried her quickly, and the teen started up the path to her house. Someone bumped into her once Liz reached the top, almost knocking her down the steep trail. "Liz!" Marie grabbed her friend's hand, helping to pull her upright. "Marie? What are you doing here?" "I was heading over to your house. Thought we might be able to go for a swim." Liz grinned. "Come on then! I already invited Ava over, so I just have to text Jemma and ask if she wants to come too." She noticed Marie's look, rolling her eyes. "You two have to make up sometime." "Or we don't." Marie mumbled sullenly. "Yes, you do. We're in this together."

Jemma Thompson was sitting on her bed, legs out in front of her. Her phone, set to the timer, several spray bottles full of assorted liquids, and a towel were sitting beside her. "Alright then. Time to figure this stuff out." She picked up a spray bottle gingerly, squirting the mixture of 50% vegetable oil and 50% water onto her legs. In the same motion, she started the timer. _8… 9… 10…._ At ten seconds, the brown-haired teen still had her legs. At one minute, she stopped the timer, jotting down ' _50% Vegetable Oil does not cause transformation.'_ Next was a dropper full of coffee that she had borrowed from the coffee machine that morning. Five drops were sprinkled on her legs, and the timer reset. After an hour of testing what liquids initiated the transformation, Jemma put away her things, hiding the notebook in which she wrote her results underneath her mattress. She sat in her clear plastic office chair, opening her laptop. The teenage scientist opened up Mozilla Firefox, typing 'mermaids' into the search box. As she clicked on a promising website, her phone beeped. Jemma glanced down at it, her eyes scanning the message from Liz. _Want 2 come swim w/ Ava and I?_ The girl picked up the iPhone, using her thumbs to type back. _Sure. Just let me finish something up._ She closed her laptop, bookmarking the site for later, and hurried downstairs with her purse.

Jemma was the first to arrive at Liz's house, the brown-haired girl stopping dead in the street with her hand raised to knock when she saw Marie open the door. "Marie." "Jemma." Liz came up behind both of them, pulling them out of their trance. "Come on. I found this amazing place to swim earlier." Liz tugged both of them out the door, leading them down the sidewalk towards the beach.

o0O0o

Ava glanced over the white-painted railing at her dad, who was sitting at the table with a mug of coffee. She crept down the stairs silently, making it halfway through the living room before she was caught. "Where do you think you're going?" Mr. Harris asked sharply. "I'm going to Liz's. She invited me to come over." "I've told you before, Ava. I don't approve of you hanging out with those girls. Especially that Jackson girl. She's trouble." "So you want me to give up my friends, ones that took me twelve years to make because of a reputation from your 'buddies'?" "You had plenty of friends before those girls." "Yeah. Girls who wanted to be friends with me so that they could come over to my rich girl house, and get close to me because I was rich and had a nice _reputation_." Anger rose inside Ava, swirling like a fearsome storm over the sea. Loose papers started to ruffle, propelled by small gusts of wind. The water inside her dad's elegant wineglass froze solid, shattering the fragile cup as Ava stormed out the door. "Ava! Come back here!" Her father called, but his daughter ignored him. She vanished down the path, and Mr. Harris sighed. He reached for his water, but when his fingers met empty air, he stared at the shattered fragments of ice and glass. "What the hell?"

Hot tears welled up in Ava's green eyes, one crystalline drop of water sliding down her cheek. Ava's eyes opened wide: she was wet! The teenager ran for the meager shelter of a cluster of decorative bushes, throwing herself behind the shrubbery just before she flopped to the ground with an iridescent mother-of-pearl tail. "Now I can't even cry without turning into a fish. Great." Ava rolled over, glaring at the tail that replaced her legs.

Liz swam up to the beach, checking her phone to see if there was a text from Ava. Nothing. Not a peep. "Ava hasn't show up yet. Should I call her?" She called. Marie and Jemma were still underwater, so she made the decision herself.

o0O0o

 _What's wrong with being, what's wrong with being  
What's wrong with being confident?  
What's wrong with being, what's wrong with being  
What's wrong with being confident?_

The song 'Confident' by Demi Lovato started to play, startling Ava. She rolled her eyes, picking up her phone and answering the call. "Yes?" "It's Liz. You didn't show, so we wondered if you had gotten hung up." "You could say that. I'm stuck behind a group of ornamental bushes with a fish tail because my dad was being a jerk again. Oh, and did you know that we can't even _cry_ without turning into freaks?" "We'll get over there as soon as possible." Liz hung up, and Ava flopped back down on the grass. Her anger faded as quickly as it had come, leaving the mermaid completely drained.

* * *

The song 'Confident' is actually really good (or I think so). Check it out!

Disclaimer: I don't own H20, the song 'Confident', Starbucks, or the wineglass that Ava smashed. They are property of Jonathan M. Shiff, Demi Lovato, whoever-runs-Starbucks, and the glorious Nobody-who-owns-all-that-I-think-up. Also known as me!


	5. Chapter 5: Power

This chapter is mostly just filler. I have been lazy (and busy) and the muse has decided to go on strike. However, I did find a few lovely songs that give a little bit of mer-related inspiration!

Open your eyes, by Bea Miller

Where we belong, by Kate Alexa

Check them out! And review, as a birthday gift for this author who deserves non of your wonderful feedback?

* * *

Chapter Five

Power

Liz held out a hand, helping Ava to her feet. "Thanks," The red-headed girl said. "We need to get out of here. My dad won't come looking for me, but it's still not safe here." Liz silently nodded, letting Marie lead the way down the road towards the beach where they had been swimming.

Ava sat on a wet rock, her tail idly flapping against the surface of the water. Spray flew around her, coating her skin in glistening mist. She was thinking, her mind wandering. There hadn't been any windows open during the argument with her dad, but there had still been a wind. Ava's eyes narrowed, a possibility coming to her. The red-haired mermaid closed her eyes, concentrating on wind, on air, on storms. Slowly, the faint breeze started to pick up. Wind started to blow fiercely, spiraling around Ava and whipping her hair this way and that. Liz, Jemma, and Marie poked their heads out of the water. Their eyes went wide as they saw Ava, surrounded by a miniature cyclone. Their friend was smiling, her eyes full of wonder. "Ava!" Jemma called. The red-haired girl turned, her eyes meeting Jemma's. "We are more! We aren't human, Jemma. We're so much better." Ava pointed one hand towards Jemma, wind spiraling from her fingers to caress the other girl's skin. "You're aerokinetic. Air," The young scientist breathed. "Yes!" Ava's eyes were sparkling with glee as she let the cyclone vanish and the air calm. She swam over to them. "We all have powers. I can control Air." The expression of breathless wonder on Ava's face was perfectly matched by Liz. "This. Is. Awesome!" Liz closed her eyes, thinking of water. It only made sense to try the element that was the same color as her tail. The water droplets on her skin started to tremble, defying gravity to slide sideways and coalesce on her raised hand. Liz's brown eyes flickered open, watching in awe as the water on her palm formed into a perfect sphere. Ava giggled, pushing one hand forwards. The sphere froze solid, sticking to Liz's palm. "Ah! Ava!" Marie laughed. "My turn." She thought of fire, of searing heat and burning flame. The ice fell apart, returned to its liquid state. Liz yelped, shaking the droplets off of her hand as they started to boil. "Jemma. Try!" Ava cajoled her friend. The green-tailed girl rolled her eyes. She closed her eyes, letting her mind drift on the currents of an invisible sea. Nothing happened. Zip, zilch, nada. "Huh." Disappointed, Jemma let her outstretched hand fall back into the water. "I'm sure you have a power," Liz reassured her. Slowly, oh-so-slowly, green started to spread across the ocean floor. Seaweed started to grow at an astonishing rate, quickly entangling the tails of the four girls and expanding into a large grove of leafy fronds. All four of them started down, before Liz, Ava, and Marie stared at Jemma. "Uh…. Oops?" Jemma grinned. "I guess I don't know my own strength yet. But, I do know what all of our powers are! I'm chlorokinetic, Liz is hydrokinetic, and Marie is pyrokinetic. Air, Water, Earth, and Fire."


	6. Chapter 6: Close Calls at School

Alright! There is an easter egg in this chapter. The first person who finds it will get a minor character put in the story of your own creation. No more mermaids, though. They can be a love interest, enemy, random person, etc. The hint is 'Roswell'.

Also: thank you October Autumn, for PMing me about your interest in my story, and for giving me constructive criticism. :)

* * *

Chapter Six

Close Calls at School

Liz sat in the bathtub, her glistening tail flopping off the end. She sighed happily, her lips curving in a smile. She pulled a wet hand from beneath the water, twisting her fingers. A stream of water rose, curving itself into the shape of a fish. A sharp knock on the door broke her concentration, and the crude fish dissolved back into liquid and splashed back into the tub. "Liz!" Her younger sister, Jennifer, called through the door. "Hurry up! I have to shower." The handle jiggled: Liz had locked it. "I'll be out in a sec, Jenny," Liz called. She drained the water, struggling over the side of the tub. The blue-tailed mermaid flopped to the floor, quickly drying herself off with a towel. Her tail vanished, legs reappearing.

Five minutes later, Liz opened the door. Jenny rolled her eyes. "What took you so long?" The blond demanded. "Sorry." Jennifer shut the door and Liz breathed a sigh of relief.

o0O0o

Elizabeth traipsed down the stairs, her navy blue backpack slung over one shoulder. Liz was wearing a sleeveless, flowing white top with faded jean shorts and strappy brown sandals. Her long brown hair was up in a messy bun, showing off her dangly silver earrings. "Morning, Liz," Her mom called. "Breakfast's on the table." Liz snatched two slices of toast off a plate, hurrying out the door. It was the first day of school, and Liz was not about to be late. Ava and Jemma shared her sentiment. Marie, on the other hand, didn't really care. The fiery, black-haired girl usually made it to class mere seconds before it started. "Bye mom!" Liz called as she closed the door. Sandals slapping against the concrete, Liz wheeled her blue-painted bike out to the driveway and started to pedal towards the high school.

Jemma was already waiting by a tree out front when Ava and Liz showed up. "Hi," The teen scientist greeted them. "Hi. Any idea as to when Marie will show up?" Ava asked. A cool breeze toyed with her red locks, carrying the subtle scent of a coming shower. "Uh oh." Liz glanced up at the sky, her brown eyes catching on the grey clouds scuttling towards them. "We need to get inside. It looks like there's going to be a storm." All three girls started towards the brick building, ducking beneath the overhang. Their first class wasn't for another five minutes. With two minutes to spare, Ava, Jemma, and Liz headed off to their class. Marie dashed in with only a few seconds to spare, skidding to a halt beside Ava and hurrying into her chair. Their history teacher, Mrs. Tanner, looked disapprovingly down her nose at Marie. "So nice of you to show up, Miss Jackson." The severe-looking blond turned her focus back to the rest of the class, starting to lecture on the War of 1812.

o0O0o

"Ugh…" Liz glanced down at her algebra homework. "I hate algebra." The others nodded, Jemma sighing. "I think most kids hate math. Including myself, although I do love school." Marie tilted her head to stare at Jemma. "You like school? No matter how many times I hear it, I still can't believe it." The four girls were sitting on a bench in one of the walkways, as they still had time before their next class. "Ha ha, Marie," Jemma retorted sarcastically, grinning. _Drip. Drip._ Slowly, rain started to fall. "Oh crap." Ava stood. "We should probably get inside." "Ava, we're covered here. We won't get wet," Liz reassured her friend. "It's just rain," An unfamiliar voice said. All four girls whipped around, looking like they had been caught stealing cookies. A boy about their age stood in the hallway, a backpack slung over one shoulder. He was average height, with brown hair and warm brown eyes. "I'm Steve. Steve Taylor." "Hi," Marie said awkwardly. She stood, holding out one hand. Steve shook it. "Nice to meet you," The boy said. "I'm Marie Jackson. This is Ava Harris, Liz Moore, and Jemma Thompson," Marie introduced them.

A drop of water slipped from its place on the edge of the roof, seeming to fall in slow motion and splash onto Liz's hand. The brown haired girl's eyes shot wide, and she spun around, starting to run towards the bathroom. Just as she pushed the door open, her legs morphed into a tail and she flopped to the ground, her fins barely poking out of the doorway. Jemma ran after her. "Is something wrong?" Steve asked Marie, concerned. "Uh… no! Nothing is wrong! I just have to go." The black-haired girl hurried towards the bathroom, Ava following her. Steve watched them go, confused. "Okay…" A flash of a blue tail and fins caught his eye. "What is that?!" The teenager started to hurry towards where the girls had gone, only to stop when the tail vanished and the door thumped closed. Steve stared at the closed door. He pulled a notebook from his backpack, starting to draw what he remembered of that tail.

Liz flopped on her back, sighing. "Do you think he saw?" "No. Even if he saw just a little bit of your fins, he won't remember it," Ava said confidently. "Let's get you dried off." Marie held her clenched fist over Liz's tail. "What are you doing?" Liz asked nervously. "My power can dry us off. I used it this morning, when I got out of the bath." Steam clouded the room for a moment, and Liz's legs reappeared. "Thanks, Marie." She stood, all four of them making their way out of the bathroom. "We really have to be more careful."

o0O0o

Steve sat at his desk, his attention only half on the English teacher. His pencil drew one careful line, then another. Slowly, a fish tail started to appear in one corner of his paper. It was graceful, with delicate flukes and tiny glimmering scales. Although it was only a drawing, in black and white pencil, the lines seemed to invoke movement. Suddenly, the tail started to move across the paper, drawing the scratchy script of his notes to it. The pencil lines coalesced, drawing the rest of the tail. A waist, long hair, almond-shaped eyes. The mermaid was Liz Moore!

o0O0o

Steve jerked awake, vaguely registering that the teacher was calling his name. "Mr. Taylor! Are you paying attention now?!" "Uh… yes, ma'am," Steve glanced around, still slightly asleep. The other students snickered, the teacher glaring at him disapprovingly. He discreetly moved one hand to cover his drawing. The bell rang, and he was the first person out of his chair. Loitering a short ways from the door, he unfolded his drawing. There, on the paper, was a passable drawing of a mermaid. A curving tail, long hair, and a recognizable face. It was Liz. And it hadn't been a dream. "How is this possible?" The brown-haired boy murmured to himself. "How is what possible?" Steve's head whipped up, and he relaxed once he saw that it was just Max Edwards. "Max, look at this." Steve showed his friend the drawing. "A mermaid? She looks like a girl that I just saw down the hall." Max looked at his friend skeptically. "Let me guess? You like her?" Steve rolled his eyes. "I just met her. Just after I met her, she ran off. I didn't see it very well, but it looked like there was a fish tail in the doorway where she disappeared." "Mhmm. What's her name?" Max looked around, his brown eyes catching on the group of four girls standing a short way down from them. "Liz Moore. What are you looking at?" Steve tapped on Max's shoulder. Max turned back to him. "Behind me, near the door to the Chemistry classroom." Steve craned his head to look, then shrank down. "Yep. That's them. Liz is the one in the white shirt. The girl with the black hair is Marie Jackson. Ava Harris is the redhead and the other one's Jemma Thompson." Max risked a glance over his shoulder again, his eyes meeting Liz's. "Uh oh. They saw me looking at them." Steve rolled his eyes again. "Come on. There's something weird about them. And we don't need anything else weird." The two boys headed towards their next class, Liz Moore staring after them.

o0O0o

"Tell me what happened again?" Ava asked. "I felt someone watching me, so I turned around and this boy was watching me. He was standing next to Steve, that kid from before," Liz explained for the second time. The four mermaids were walking home from school, heading for Jemma's house. The storm had cleared up, but there were still a few clouds on the horizon. "Was he cute?" Marie queried. Liz rolled her eyes. "Yes. He was cute. Black hair, brown eyes," She said, forestalling the fiery girl's next question. "Ah." Liz waited expectantly, and was not disappointed. Within a minute, a grin split Marie's face and she started singing, "Liz has a boyfriend, Liz has a boyfriend," under her breath. "Hush, Marie," Ava chastised her friend. "Fine. But you can't deny it, Liz." They continued walking, trading jokes and sharing the latest news. Liz was pretty quiet though. She just had the feeling that their world was about to change again.

* * *

I imagine Max to look like his counterpart from the hint, and Steve to look similar to Logan Lerman, when he was playing Percy Jackson.

ShardofSun, I know you know the easter egg. So give someone else a chance to get it first?


	7. Chapter 7: Black Moon

Did anybody get the easter egg? If not, I'll tell what it was in the next chapter.

* * *

Chapter Seven

Black Moon

A week. That was how long it had been since the transformation. Jemma still couldn't believe it had been that long. The brown-haired girl drew a diagonal line across August 30th in pen, turning away from the red and purple fractal that hung above the grid of days. She made her way down the hall to the bathroom, folded clothes under one arm. Jemma turned the lock on the door, setting her clothes on the toilet and starting the water. Her green bathrobe fell to the brown tile floor, bare feet making their way across the fuzzy blue bathmat to slip into the tub.

Jemma relaxed in the bath, her emerald green fins pressed up against the brown tile walls of the shower/bath. She sighed, enjoying the water. Her fins twitched as the mermaid moved, sending a little water splashing against the glass door. Before too long, she would have to get out and keep hiding her true self. But for now, she would simply enjoy the moment.

o0O0o

"You're getting a bit of a late start, Jemma," Her mom commented over breakfast. Jemma looked up from her bowl of cereal. "I guess it took me a little longer to find my stuff than usual." Her mom, Kaitlyn, seemed to accept that. Her mom was a tall woman, with brown hair that was cut into a pixie cut and a streak of blond. She worked in a beauty parlor downtown, doing haircuts. Kaitlyn hadn't gone to college, which was the reason she wanted Jemma to succeed in life and bring home good grades. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, Jemma finished and set her bowl in the sink before grabbing her backpack and heading out the door. "Bye, mom." "Bye, sweetheart." Jemma started to walk down the street, carefully avoiding the damp grass where a sprinkler had been running earlier. A salty breeze toyed with her knee-length grey skirt, swirling it around her legs. She had a white blouse on, black flats, and her long, curly hair, was done in a side braid. She arrived at the high school quickly, as her house was only a few blocks away. Sitting down on a stone bench, she waited.

o0O0o

Night was starting to fall, the sky growing darker. Jemma sat in her room, looking out of the window as she worked on math problems. It was late, almost 9:30. She almost contemplated texting them, but something stopped her. The girl started to feel weak as the dark moon rose over the horizon. The world around her began to spin, and Jemma fell from her chair onto the floor. Suddenly, the world focused again. Slowly, Jemma rose. She moved as if she was in a trance, one thought in her mind: Sanctuary. She made her way to the door, opening it and slipping out into the dark hallway.

Her parents were watching a movie in the living room, but Jemma slipped past them with ease. She opened the front door, leaving the house.

o0O0o

Liz glanced at the clock. Almost 9:30. She shifted on her bed, pausing her episode of Once Upon a Time and setting aside her laptop. Time to get more popcorn. She got off the bed, a wave of nausea hitting her like a fist to the gut. The girl fell to her knees, feeling weak. The world started to spin wildly, the popcorn in her stomach churning uneasily. The world twirled, suddenly focusing. Liz slowly got up, moving as if in a trance. She was focused on her goal. Nothing would get in her way. She made her way downstairs, creeping through the house to the front door.

o0O0o

Marie shifted uneasily, tangled in her covers. Her eyes fluttered, her black hair spread across the pillow. Her eyes shot open, rolling back in the teen's head and showing only white. Suddenly, her eyes opened normally. She rose from the bed, her white nightgown trailing behind her eerily. She slipped through the dark room into the hallway, slinking to the backdoor and slipping out.

The girl stood at the edge of the beach, her bare feet curled in the sand just above the tideline. Behind her, a boy was slowly walking towards her. It was Steve, the boy that Marie had met on the first day of school. "Marie? What are you doing out here?" He moved closer to her, but the black-haired phantom ignored him. She looked like a statue or a ghost, simply staring out at the water. Steve raised one hand, intending to tap her on the shoulder, but the girl moved before he could. She seemed to glide across the sand, walking into the water and diving under. "Marie!" Steve called when she didn't come back up. He ran towards the water, dropping his flashlight. A flash of red shot past him, heading towards the Keys. The teenage boy was left staring out at the ocean, where the girl had vanished.

o0O0o

Ava stood at the edge of the cliff across the street from her house. She moved as if she was in a trance, eyes strangely dim. She walked to the very edge, her toes poking out into empty air. She raised her arms, stepping out into empty air and transforming her fall into a dive. She splashed into the water just beyond the rocks, vanishing into the sea.

o0O0o

All four mermaids met at the underwater entrance to the pool. Liz entered the tunnel first, her sapphire flukes vanishing into the darkness. The others followed, disappearing beneath the island.

Jemma surfaced inside the cave, water cascading off of her head. Liz, Ava, and Marie were all floating in the center of the pool, their faces turned upwards. The green-tailed mermaid joined them, the four mermaids forming a circle. They joined hands, invisible sparks of power yoking them together. Tiny, luminous droplets covered them, same as the day they had transformed. All of the girls felt the same feeling of renewal as the moon sank towards the horizon and a sliver of silver showed itself as the moon began to wax again.

The girls let go of each others hands, staring around as soon as the spell was broken. "How did we get here?" Jemma asked in shock. "The last thing I remember was watching Once Upon a Time," Liz added. "We have to get home!" Ava cried, diving under the water. The others followed suit. What had happened last night?

o0O0o

It was still dark when Marie arrived at the beach to get home. They had split up halfway to the mainland, in the hopes of getting home faster. She cautiously poked her head out of the water, making sure that the cost was clear. The mermaid dragged herself onto the beach, drying off quickly with her power. She hurried up the path to her house, silently praying that her family was still asleep.

No such luck. Every light in her house was on, and the entire family of six people roused from their beds. Marie opened the back door, and was greeted by the sight of Steve Taylor and her parents in the kitchen. _Oh crap_ , she thought. "Where. Have. You. Been?!" Her mother shrieked. "Uhhh….. I couldn't sleep. So I went outside." Marie scrambled for an excuse. Even to her own ears, her lie sounded fake.

Steve stared at her. "I saw you down at the beach, in the middle of the night. You dove into the sea. I thought you had drowned when I couldn't find you." The black-haired girl's eyes opened wide. He saw her. He might know what happened! "It must have been a dream," She suggested. "I just went outside. To the backyard." Her parents looked skeptical. "We looked outside. You weren't there," Her dad objected. "Really? I was reading near the bushes. You must have missed me."

Neither her parents, nor Steve were mollified. "That's enough, Marie," Her mom said sharply. "You snuck out in the middle of the night, and you won't even tell us where you were. You're grounded." "But I just went to the backyard because I couldn't sleep!" Marie stuck to her lie, clinging to it as a drowning man would cling to a rope.

"Go to your room." The teenager rolled her eyes, huffing all the way to her room. She slammed the door for effect, then cracked it open a little to hear the rest of the conversation. "Thank you for telling us, Steve," Her dad was saying. "Happy to help, Mr. Jackson," the boy in question replied. "I should get home," He added. "Of course. But thank you again." Steve left the house, making his way home.

Just as he left the yard, someone whispered, "Psst. Steve." He turned, trying to make out who it was. Marie crept out from behind a bush. "Steve, I need to know exactly what you saw." "Marie? You're grounded!" Marie glanced around. "Just tell me. I need to know." The teenage boy sighed. "I saw you standing on the beach, near the edge of the water. Then you just walked into the sea, dove in, and vanished." "You didn't see anything else?" The girl glanced around again, eyes scanning the darkness for anyone coming. "I saw a weird red streak, but nothing else. I thought you drowned." But Marie had disappeared once again, and the only trace of her was a rustling sound and a memory.

* * *

The new moon in August was actually on the 7th, but this is fiction and I can control time. So don't question my twisted and warped logic.


	8. Chapter 8: Needing to Know

And here is the next chapter, as a little gift for Thanksgiving. I was a little late with this, but once my muse started working again, I loved writing it. This chapter is pretty long (ish), and it's got a few more of those lovely little struggles with lying about their tails. Enjoy, and have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Also: the easter egg from Chapter Six: It was the fact that there was a character named Max, and a character named Liz. Liz Parker and Max Evans are the main characters of Roswell, and one of my OTP ships. So there will be a little tribute to them in this.

* * *

Chapter Eight

Needing to Know

"What the hell happened? I can't get a hold of Marie, and none of us know what happened last night." Ava flopped down on Jemma's green and white flowered comforter, sighing. Jemma, Ava, and Liz were all over at Jemma's house, trying to figure out what had happened last night. "None of our parents knew what happened, and they didn't even know that we left the house last night," Liz added. "You didn't tell them that we snuck out, did you?" Jemma asked nervously. "No. Until we find out what happened, we have to keep this to ourselves." Liz picked up her flip-top phone. "I'm going to call Marie's parents." She dialed the number, and it rang for a moment before Mrs. Jackson picked up the phone.

"Hello?" "Hello. This is Liz. Liz Moore, Marie's friend? I was wondering if something happened, since she hasn't answered my calls." "Oh. I'm sorry, but Marie has been grounded. She snuck out last night, and won't tell us where she went." "Ah. Thanks, Mrs. Jackson. Bye." Liz let her phone fall back to the bed. "Marie's parents caught her out last night. And she can't really tell them what happened if she doesn't know."

Jemma sighed. "Alright. Let's review the facts. The last thing we remember, was doing stuff at our houses around 9:30. Then we supposedly snuck out of our homes, and swam to Isla la Luna, where we woke up just after midnight in the Moon Pool. We swim back home, splitting up. And that leads us back to now." "Do we think that maybe the moon had something to do with it? The ocean is affected by the moon, and we're mermaids," Ava suggested. Liz pursed her lips, thinking about it. "Maybe? It was a new moon last night. And I remember feeling really weak and dizzy before I blacked out." Jemma and Ava nodded. "Maybe we went to the Moon Pool for…. protection from the moon's effect, or something." The three girls sat in silence for a moment, until the quiet was broken by Jemma's mom. "Girls, it's almost time for you to get to school," Kaitlyn Thompson said, poking her head through the door. The girls in question slid off the bed, padding across the grey-brown carpet silently. They got their backpacks, starting to hurry down the sidewalk towards the high school.

o0O0o

The three mermaids moved through the day quietly. Doubts- what if we hurt someone?-, fears- what if someone saw us?-, and normal teenage worries. At lunch, they sat on the grass of the back lawn, far enough away from the soda machine to avoid any spills. Ava washed the last bite of her sandwich down with a sip of water, her green eyes catching on the form of two familiar boys. _Uh oh._

Max and Steve sat across the lawn, not-so-subtly looking at the group of three girls. "So you saw Marie Jackson out at almost 9:45pm, down on the beach. I don't see why this is so weird. Lots of people take walks at night." Max said skeptically. Steve sighed. "Max, for one, she was wearing her pajamas. Second, she dove into the ocean and completely disappeared. Third, it was like she was in a trance. I spoke to her, and she didn't even acknowledge that I was there. That. Is. Not. Normal! Plus, to add to the pile of strange things about those girls, there was that tail I saw, and the drawing." The brown-haired boy pulled a folded piece of paper from the side of his backpack, unfolding it. "See?" Now it was Max's turn to sigh. "Steve, you might just have been doodling. And the tail…. maybe you were imagining things?" "Max! This is not the first weird thing we have seen. Yet, you still insist upon dismissing it as nothing."

Max looked at his friend, conceding the point. "Okay, fine. So what? Do you want to prove that they are what, faeries? Shapeshifters? Or are they witches?" The black-haired boy was unable to keep sarcasm from his voice. "They are mermaids. Hence the tail. Or maybe a hippocampus…. but hippocampi don't have a human form. Perhaps a shapeshifter? And her transformation is triggered by something specific, such as water?" Steve risked a glance over at the girls again, only to catch the eyes of Ava. "They've seen us."

Max rolled his eyes. "So? We could just confront them. Or trick them into revealing themselves. That one worked a few times." "No. They might be friendly. Maybe." Steve got up with his backpack, motioning for his friend to follow. "This had better not end up with me in some sort of disgusting goop again," The black-haired boy muttered in a long-suffering tone. The boys made their way across the lawn, back into the school and their classes.

Ava watched them go, craning her neck to see them turn a corner and vanish from sight. "Why do you think they were looking at us?" She whispered to Jemma and Liz. "I think that you are getting paranoid. They don't have any evidence on us, except for one tiny little glimpse of my fins that they probably forgot about anyway," Liz looked at her skeptically, holding the stern glare for exactly thirty seconds before she burst out laughing. "This is so weird! We're all getting paranoid over the fact that we have fish tails, magical powers, and are being stared at by two teenage boys," She chuckled in a whisper.

o0O0o

Marie sighed, rolling over in her bed for the eighth time in the last minute. She was bored beyond all belief. Her parents had taken her phone, and she wasn't allowed out of her room. All she had to do was read a stupid ten-page sheaf of paper on the dangers of sneaking out at night. So far, she had been lectured by paper on kidnapping, murder, falling down a cliff and dying, being mortally injured, and the sins of defying ones parental figures. The girl was on the verge of just shredding it to tiny little pieces. Or burning it with her powers. The latter option was looking extremely appealing, but that would give her parents the assumption that she was a pyro-whatever who liked to burn things.

She sighed again, rolling off of the futon and onto the dirty carpet. Marie poked her head over the bed, listening. No one was coming, so she lifted her mattress and pulled a battered and worn notebook out. The teenager sat cross-legged on the floor, running her fingers over the soft red cover and the raised bumps of the diagonal letters that spelled out her name. It had been a present from her grandma for her tenth birthday, just before the beloved older woman had died the next April. Over the years, Marie hadn't exactly been faithful in keeping her diary, more on-and-off than anything else, but recently, she had gotten back into it. Flipping it open to where the red attached bookmark was, her eyes fell on the drawing of a graceful red tail. Marie was actually a rather good artist, and it was one of her secret passions, right up there with swimming in the deep ocean and sneaking onto the computer at 11:00 to do a rush job on her algebra homework using Google.

Drawings covered the pages, interspersed with scribbled writing in a code comprised of swirling lines and jagged edges. The code had been invented by all four of the girls, but it had been abandoned once their juvenile attention was caught by another fancy.

 _August 22_

 _Holy crap. Ava, Jemma, Liz, and I went on a camping trip to one of the smaller Keys, an island called Isla la Luna. While we were there, we went into some sort of trance, supposedly leaving our tents, and ended up at the bottom of a hole. Down the hole, was a beautiful cave and pool of water. We didn't have a way out, but there was an underwater tunnel that we eventually used to escape-_ bla bla bla, description of what happened in the pool. Marie flipped to the next page- _we went swimming, away from my parents, and while we were swimming, we transformed. Our legs literally transformed into fish tails. With fins and scales and everything. Naturally, we were freaked. My tail is red, Liz's blue, Jemma's is green, and Ava's is this pearly white. We could swim with these tails, and it was incredible! When we dry off, our legs reappear, so that is good. I don't know how I could explain to my family why I'm suddenly a fish. A mermaid. We decided not to tell anyone. No one ever. It's too dangerous. We could be dissected or studied or something. I kind of blew up at Jemma yesterday though. She was doing a few tests on us- how long it took for us to transform, if we could transform with just a drop of water or we actually had to be in water, etc.- and was writing it all down in a journal. I accused her of not being careful enough. She got upset, and then Ava defended her, and we were divided yet again. But I think we'll make up. We always do._

Marie grinned, shaking her head at her optimism. And the irony. She had accused Jemma of not being careful about just a few small notes on the scientific part of their Change, and she was keeping a diary about it, with every single detail. The grin faded. The next entry was later, talking about their powers and more than a few illustrations of fire and plants and water and wind. There was even a drawing of her own hand, with a ball of fire hovering over it. Slowly, the black-haired girl picked up a pen and started to etch runes into a blank page. Dates, letters, words, numbers. Blurred together as she poured herself into the paper, telling of her life to an invisible, non-existent being. Colors were chosen, shades of grey coloring the white and turning to blue, peach, red. Criss-crossing lines, the blackened tip of a pen, trailing ink and corrupting the purity of the alabaster sheets.

Suddenly, a sharp knock interrupted Marie's reverie. She hurriedly replaced the journal underneath her mattress, standing. "Yes?" She couldn't (and didn't) stop a bit of whiplash annoyance from creeping into her voice. "Can I come in?" The voice of her older brother, Chris, drifted through the door. His sister sat down on the bed. "Go ahead." The white-painted door opened, her brother standing there with a plate of food and a glass of water. "I brought you some dinner," He said awkwardly. "Thanks." Marie rose, taking the dish from him and bringing it back to the bed. She started eating, then looked up when the customary sound of the door closing didn't happen. Chris was still looking at her strangely. "What?" She asked her brother. "Nothing. Just…. why did you do it? Why did you sneak out?" Marie froze. Her mouth moved for a moment, no sound coming out. She swallowed thickly. This was her brother. He would understand, right? She didn't like lying to him. But the lives of her friends depended on her too. "I-" Christopher's hazel eyes were still on her, waiting for an answer. "I was just in the backyard," She stuck to her lie, the words leaving a sour taste in her mouth. "I know that isn't what happened, Marie," Chris said quietly. "I just hope that one day, you'll trust me enough not to lie to me." He left, the door closing with a quiet click behind him. Marie was left alone in her room again, fork still held in her stiff fingers and staring at the white-painted wood. She slowly let the metal stem of the fork fall back to the plate, hating herself for lying. For being a freak. A mermaid.

* * *

And there is the lovely little bit of angst and a touch of hypocrisy for spice. Sounds a bit like a pumpkin pie recipe, eh?

2 large cups of angst

A drizzle of mystery

A pinch of hypocrisy

Teensie little drop of suspicion

And a whole lot of magic.

Combine in a large mixing bowl, cook for 3 days, and serve hot or cold. Dysfunctional hurt/comfort optional.


	9. Chapter 9: Truth

I expect some reviews by the end of this chapter, people! Though some of it might be hate mail...

Extra stuffs:

Thank you, Izi Wilson for your 'Happy Thanksgiving'.

While I was writing, I listened to the song 'Better Dig Two' by the Band Perry, over and over again. It's awesome- or at least I think so- and gave me some good inspiration. Though be warned: it is a touch dark. But not too dark. So go check it out!

* * *

Chapter Nine

Truth

Max sat on a rock at the edge of the beach, looking out at the white-capped waves. It was late afternoon, almost four thirty. The black-haired teenager was waiting for Steve, who had promised to meet him after school. And Steve was nearly twenty minutes late. He sighed, thinking back on last night. Steve had been his usual crazy self, jabbering on about his plan to expose the four girls as mermaids. Exposing wasn't really what the pair did, but mermaids were far too close to Sirens, and Sirens were just bad news. The best friends had been cloistered in Max's room for nearly two hours, and their meeting had ended with Steve supplying Max with a full water pistol. Said water pistol was tucked into Max's backpack, weighting heavily on the mind of the boy in question.

Finally, Steve came jogging up. "Sorry I'm late. My mom kept me doing some chores," The brown-haired boy explained. "It's okay." The two friends walked along the edge of the sand, intent on their destination: one small, secluded cove where a certain black-haired girl had disappeared into the ocean two nights ago. "So we are just going to wait in the cove, hidden? Sounds a little flimsy, especially since Sirens and mermaids are extremely similar. They will have powers, and at least one of them will be hydrokinetic." Max voiced his opinion as they drew near to the narrow path that lead down to the cove. "We'll be fine, Max. I promise. Besides, we have dealt with this sort of thing before," Steve reassured him, walking off of the concrete sidewalk and starting down the path. Max followed, still a little skeptical. Steve was the one who always believed in mermaids and faeries and Sirens. The one who made huge, complicated plans. Max was the level-headed one, the one who brought those huge plans to a manageable size. The one who was still a little skeptical of everything.

o0O0o

The two boys crouched behind two rocks on either side of the cove, hiding. Steve had his water gun ready in his hand, facing the path, while Max had his water pistol on the sand beside him and faced the ocean. They waited there. Soon, the shadows were growing extremely long and the sun was low over the ocean, a burning orange-red eye. And they waited.

o0O0o

Liz carefully made her way down the path, her sandals providing some traction against the slippery sand. Her long brown hair blew in the wind, tinged red in the light of the setting sun. She was wearing a simple black dress over her swimsuit, one with spaghetti straps. The teenage girl stepped off of the path, making her way across the beach towards the water. She slipped her sandals off, pulling the dress over her head to reveal a blue bikini with purple straps. Liz glanced around, and seeing no one, started to walk towards the water.

Behind the rocks, Steve nodded to Max and leaped out yelling. Liz whipped around, hair flying as jets of water struck her. Fear showed itself on her face, and she started to run for the ocean. Max caught up with her, grabbing Liz by her wrist. "Let go of me!" She screamed, trying to reach the water. Suddenly, Liz felt the familiar tingle in her legs and she toppled to the sand, dragging the boy with her. She stared at her blue tail, fear giving way to terror. They were going to kidnap her and sell her to some lab and she would be experimented on and kept in a cage like a monster. The world around her started to spin and she fainted dead away.

o0O0o

Steve dropped his water gun on the sand, standing beside Max. "She really is a mermaid," he uttered, stunned. Max cast a scathing glance at him. "Duh. You went after her and her friends, not even believing that she was really a mermaid?" Anger was written plainly across his tone, and his friend flinched. Max was scary when he was mad. "No. I knew- or I thought I knew." The brown-haired boy dropped to his knees on the sand beside his friend and the unconscious mermaid. "What now?" Max asked. "I didn't really think past this part," Steve admitted. Max got up, staring out at the ocean and running one hand through his hair. "Max…" "No!" Steve's best friend spun around, staring at the unconscious Liz Moore. "We just attacked a girl on the assumption that she MIGHT be a mermaid. And now she is a mermaid, completely revealed. I saw the look on her face, Steve. She was terrified. Terrified not of the fact that we freaking AMBUSHED her, but the fact that she was about to be revealed." Liz's eyelids fluttered, the mermaid slowly returning to consciousness. "Max, she's waking up," Steve said from his place in the sand beside her. The black-haired boy hurried over, dropping to the sand beside his friend. Liz's eyes shot open, memories and emotions returning in a rush that hit her like a lightning bolt. She scrambled upright, trying to drag herself away from the two boys. "Get away from me!" She cried. Max raised his hands, trying to show that he didn't have a weapon or anything. "We don't want to hurt you," He said quietly, trying to calm the panicking girl down. Terror raced through Liz's veins, like searing, burning ice. She screamed, the water behind her suddenly exploding in a wave of liquid. Seawater pounded straight into the two boys, washing them far up the beach and giving Liz the chance to escape into the ocean.

Max and Steve lay on the wet sand, unconscious. Behind them, the water slowly receded and the indistinct shape of a mermaid's tail vanished against the partially visible red sun.

o0O0o

Elizabeth Moore raced through the water like a torpedo, going faster than she ever had before. Hair streamed out behind her, bubbles trailing behind her streaking form. She disappeared through the dark entrance to the Moon Pool, slowing down before she hit the opposite wall and surfacing inside the dark cave. She swam over to the edge slowly, resting her arms on the slick stones and letting her tears fall. They blurred her vision, obscuring the cave then suddenly clearing once they fell. She wept as the sky grew dark and the stars cast off their veils to shine in all their glory. Finally, Liz had no more tears to cry. She turned her head upwards to look at the shape of the waxing moon, which was still no more than a crescent showing itself around the shadow of a vacant hole in the sky. Silently, barely even thinking it, the mermaid wished that the last night hadn't happened, that she was still safe and secure in the knowledge that no one knew her secret save for those who shared it. But her wish wasn't answered. Slowly, Liz slipped under the water and began to swim towards her home.

o0O0o

Max Edwards lay in his bed, tangled in the blanket. His closed eyes flickered back and forth, watching what played in his mind….

 _Max was kneeling in the sand beside the unconscious form of Elizabeth Moore. Steve was next to him, and the girl's eyelids were fluttering as she started to wake. Her eyes shot open, revealing chocolatey brown irises. The mermaid scrambled away, terror written across her face. But then her face changed, draining of blood as she stared behind him at the path that lead down to the cove. Max turned, his eyes meeting three pairs of cold, pupil-less black eyes. Ava, Jemma, and Marie stood there, hands outstretched. A large section of ocean started to bubble ominously, a shape crafted of green seaweed and held together through a tornado of air that swirled around it rising from the sea. It was a massive serpent, with eyes of burning fire. Liz screamed as the creature lunged towards her, opening its mouth to spew a massive column of fire…_

Max jolted awake, heart still pounding and Liz's scream still echoing in his head. He stared up at the ceiling, a sick feeling growing in the pit of his stomach. His dream flashed before his eyes again, the image of terror written across a pale face and the searing stench of fire. He remembered the last time his dreams had been so vivid, giving a terrible certainty. His powers were back and Liz was going to die.

* * *

Heh... don't kill me?


	10. Chapter 10: Aftermath

And as a treat for Thanksgiving (Though I'm sure that those of you who celebrate it have already had plenty of treats), here's the aftermath of the last chapter! Enjoy, and thank you to the latest reviewer, Alexa10110. You are very welcome for the quick updates.

EDIT (11/26/15, 8:30pm): As a response to Izi Wilson's review: We finally learned more about the mysterious Steve and Max, and Liz kicked their butts with her power! I particularly enjoyed that part. And writing Max!

* * *

Chapter Ten

Aftermath

Liz picked at her bowl of cereal, her brown eyes distant. Someone called something loudly, and she jumped a mile in the air, dropping her spoon and whipping around. Her mom, Sarah Moore, was standing before her in her business clothes and brown hair in a tight bun. "Love you, honey," Her mom said, planting a kiss on her daughter's head before she hurried out the door. Liz stared after her, confused for a moment until she remembered. Her mom was going up to Tallahassee for a conference. Sarah Moore worked with various companies as an ethical hacker and worked in cybersecurity. She had been in the NSA when she was younger, but she had retired a few years after having Liz's sister, Amy. Liz dragged herself out of her thoughts, giving up on her bowl of soggy corn flakes and taking it up to the sink. She turned on the water, rinsing the bowl out carefully. The sound of the liquid running against the metal of the sink sent her back to last night…

 _TerrorfearpowericewaterMaxboyexperimentspecimenkidnappedMariefallingswimmingracingstreakingawayGETAWAY!-_ The girl jolted out of her whirlwind of memory-thought-feeling-sight, realizing that water was running on her hand. "Oh crap." She thudded to the floor, her fins flopping on the white tile with a wet squelching sound. Liz sighed, reaching for a towel when she had an idea. Calling on her power, she positioned her fingers on either side of her tail. Water floated off of her scales, forming two large bubbles in the air. Her tail tingled, shifting back into her legs. Satisfied, Liz floated the water over to the sink and let it fall. It disappeared down the drain with a satisfying gurgle, dragging more of the soggy corn flakes with it.

o0O0o

Marie sat at the wooden table, munching on a slice of toast and firmly ignoring the rest of her family. She could still feel the disapproving glares of her parents on her, but brushed them aside like flies. It was Thursday, and while her grounding wasn't over, she was allowed to leave her room at will. However, she still didn't have her phone, couldn't leave the house, and wasn't allowed to have visitors. The 'no-phone' rule had been bent last night though. She had to contact the others, find out what had happened on the night of the new moon. Ava and Jemma had answered, relief audible through their texts. But no one had been able to contact Liz. Something was going on, and Marie wasn't about to let her parent's punishment (over something she didn't even do!) stop her from finding out what was wrong with her friend.

o0O0o

Ava stood out on her small balcony, salt-scented wind toying with her hair. The sun was slowly rising, painting the sky in shades of violet and rose and tangerine. But the teenage girl didn't see the colors, nor feel the wind. Her mind was occupied, worry swirling around her thoughts. No one had seen Liz since last night, and she wasn't answering any texts or calls. Ava had called Liz's parents, but they said that Liz was already off to school. _Which is where you should be_ , her brain whispered. The redhead rolled her eyes at herself- which was an extremely novel experience- and walked back into her room. Downstairs, her dad called, "Ava, there's someone here to see you!" "Coming dad," his daughter called back. She hurried down the staircase: maybe it was Liz!

The mermaid stopped dead at the end of the stairs, holding onto the end of the white bannister and staring at the visitor. Steve Taylor was standing in the doorway, a distinctly guilty look on his face.

o0O0o

"Why are you here?" Ava cut straight to the chase, closing the door of her room behind Steve. The brown-haired boy fidgeted, obviously nervous. "Alright. I'll tell you. Just… don't kill me? Please?" Ava raised one eyebrow, replying cautiously. "Okay…. Now spill." Steve sat down on the bed, starting to talk. "When I first met you, Liz ran off, and I caught a glimpse of blue fish fins. So I thought she was a mermaid. I told my friend, Max Edwards, after I drew this in class. I don't know how or why I drew it, but here it is." He handed Ava a folded piece of paper, the redhead unfolding it to reveal a passable drawing of Liz with a mermaid tail. The horror must have been evident on her face, because Steve quickly started talking again. "So... we wanted to know if she was actually a mermaid. Last night, after school, we went down to the cove where I saw Marie a few days ago. And… we ambushed Liz with water guns." He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping that she wouldn't burn him to a crisp or suck out his soul or something equally horrible. But when he cracked his eyes open, Ava was just staring at him. "You ambushed Liz Moore, with water guns. She's terrified of water!" That was the lie that they were hoping to use if swimming came up in PE, but they hadn't had an opportunity to use it yet. "I'm sure. Good lie, though. So…. yeah. We found out that she was a mermaid, and she fainted. When she woke up, she attacked us with her powers and swam away." Ava got up from the bed, looking accusingly at him. "Well I'm going to say that you deserved what you got. Ambushing an innocent girl on the half-baked idea that she might be a mermaid? Ava was furious, and more than a little scared for her friend. Steve shrank away from her a little as the temperature started to drop. "Ava…" The boy started to say, but the mermaid silenced him with a glare. "I think it's time for you to leave." Ava's words were cold and icy as she opened the door. Steve acquiesced to her request, leaving silently. Ava watched the front door close behind him, then turned and raced up the stairs. Two texts later, all of them labeled URGENT and for the eyes of Jemma/Marie only, Ava grabbed her backpack and ran out the door.

o0O0o

Hannah Jackson picked up Marie's phone as it buzzed, her sharp eyes scanning the text. _Mrs. Jackson, I really really really have to talk with Marie. It's urgent. Please, just let her read this and reply._ Hannah knew that Ava Harris was not one to exaggerate things, so she turned to Marie. "Marie, Ava has something to say to you. She says it's urgent. You can reply to her, but after that I expect you to be off." The black-haired girl's head shot up, and she took the outstretched phone. _Marie, Steve and his friend ambushed Liz with water guns last night. We've got a problem._ Marie's eyes shot extremely wide, and her fingers fairly flew over the small keys of the phone. _Got it. I'll see you 9/5._ The teenager obediently handed the phone back to her mother, rising from her chair and returning to her room. Hannah Jackson watched her daughter go, slightly suspicious. She opened the text, only reading her answer. 9/5. September 5th. Okay then. There were no plans of sneaking out. But what Mrs. Jackson didn't know, was that Marie was well-versed in trickery and knew exactly what code to use. 9/5 stood for 9:50pm.

o0O0o

Jemma and Ava sat on a bench near the entrance to the school, waiting for Liz. When class was only a few moments from starting, the girls finally just went to their classes. There was no point in trying to force Liz to talk to them before she was ready. But Ava had filled Jemma in on what had happened. Both of the mermaids were worried for their friend.

Max sat beside Steve on the grass. The two boys were silently eating their lunch, neither of them wanting to break the silence first. Guilt weighted heavy on their minds, especially Max's. "Steve, my powers are back," The black-haired boy said finally. His friend turned to him slowly. "Are you serious? But I thought that they had been stolen last summer, when you got on the wrong side of Abby Striga. When you almost died." Max winced, remembering what had happened. "Yeah. I thought so too. But I had a dream- more like a nightmare, really- and in it, Marie, Ava, and Jemma were evil. I was back on the beach with you and Liz. She was just waking up with her tail, and she was obviously terrified of both me and her friends. They had solid black eyes, Steve. Then they combined their powers to create this massive sea serpent, and in my dream…. it killed Liz." Steve stared at him. "Are you sure that it wasn't a nightmare?" The brown-haired boy asked. "Why would I have a nightmare about those three girls turning evil and killing one of their friends?" Max looked at him quizzically. Steve sighed, a glint of mischief in his brown eyes. "Max, sometimes you can be really stupid. You like Liz! You defended her at the beach, you had a nightmare about her dying, and the entire school has seen how you look like a lovesick puppy when she is around." The black-haired boy's eyebrows shot up. "Seriously? You think I like Liz Moore? Even if I did like her, it would never happen! We ambushed her and forced her to show her tail. She's probably terrified of us." "Speaking of…" Steve looked across the green, where a certain blue-scaled mermaid was sitting down behind a slim tree. Max followed his gaze, a faint blush rising on his pale cheeks. Steve glanced at his friend, who had the exact lovesick puppy expression on his face. Max's best friend hooted in glee. "Told you so!" Max broke away from gazing at Liz to look at his friend with a bright red face and a raised eyebrow that conveyed a scathing retort. "I'm going to head off to Chemistry," The black-haired boy picked up his backpack and the rest of his lunch, stalking off while muttering unflattering comments under his breath. Steve grinned, pulling out his phone. _Max & Liz sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then a baby in a baby carriage! _The mischievous boy texted. Almost instantly, a reply arrived. _Drop it, Steve. Even if I do like her- which I don't- it. Will. Never. Happen. Get that through your thick skull. Liz probably hates me, so drop it._ Steve sighed, typing a response. _Fine. But… do you like her?_ After a seemingly eternal wait, his phone buzzed, the text comprised of only a few letters. _Yes._

o0O0o

 _Seven Minutes Previous…_

Liz Moore sighed, dropping to the grass behind the small tree. She had been hiding from Ava and Jemma for the entire day, not wishing to talk with anyone. Once again, her life had gotten more complicated. Now, two boys that she had barely met knew her secret. Liz sighed again, unzipping her backpack to pull out a turkey and cheese sandwich. She was allergic to peanuts, so PB&Js weren't an option. Once again, the mermaid's phone buzzed. She pulled it out: Ava again. _Liz, Steve came by my house this morning and told me what happened. Please, please text me back. I just have to know if you are okay._ Liz's fingers hovered over the reply button, the girl silently warring with herself. Finally, she typed, _I am okay._ Immediately, Ava replied. _That's good to hear. Jemma's with me. We're on the green, on the opposite side from the soda machine, if you want to come over._ Liz's response was only two words. _Not yet._ Evidently, Ava acquiesced to her wishes, and there were no more messages. Liz put her phone away, leaning back against the tree to eat, completely unaware of the two boys looking at her from the other side of the grass.

* * *

Alright. To clear a few questions that the user 'October Autumn', who has been PMing me about their interest in the story, brought up:

Max and Steve are NOT mermaid hunters! They are similar to Benny and Ethan from My Babysitter's a Vampire in the sense that they defend the town from supernatural threats. And Max is my version of Ethan, while Steve is a more responsible Benny.

I do know that in Greek Mythology, Sirens are bird women (Kind of like Harpies). In this fic, since it is FICTION, I have expanded the word Siren to apply to evil mermaids.

Jemma can control any type of plant, whether it be marine or land or whatever.

I will explain later why Max lost his powers during that encounter with 'Abby Striga' and why he can tell the future. As for if and maybe what Steve can do? You'll have to wait and see. If he does have a power, I was thinking Technopathy (Can control electronics). If you've got an idea, drop me a review!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving! And enjoy all the pumpkin pie you can eat. My family is eating it for breakfast tomorrow :)


	11. Chapter 11: Sneaking Out

Yep! It's that time again. What time is it? It's review time!

Alexa10110: I literally danced around my bedroom when I read your reviews. Thank you so much! Your words mean a lot to me :) And you are very welcome.

I actually wrote most of this chapter twice, with one version having Ava, Jemma, and Marie sneak over to Max's house to try and form a truce. But in the end, I didn't like that and so decided to change it. If you want to read the other version, PM me. I might also put it at the end of this fic, as sort of an 'outtake'.

* * *

Chapter Eleven

Sneaking Out

At 9:50pm, Marie lay in bed, fully clothed. Her door was closed, and her parents were out in the living room, watching something. The black-haired teenager rolled out from under the covers, carefully arranging the blankets over a pile of balled-up clothes. A black t-shirt served as a suitable decoy for her head. She opened the window, making sure that it wasn't locked, and climbed out. Window closed behind her, Marie padded across the grass, avoiding the windows as she went out the front gate.

o0O0o

Ava and Jemma met Marie a short ways outside of the Jackson house. "Marie," Jemma breathed, happiness evident in her voice. "It's so good to see you." Marie nodded. "What exactly is going on with Liz?" The red-scaled mermaid asked, eyes flickering from side to side, watching for anyone. "Steve and his friend, Max Edwards, ambushed Liz down in the cove. She was going to an evening swim, and they ambushed her with water guns." Marie's eyes shot wide. "They saw her?!" "Yes. Apparently, once she was a mermaid, she fainted. I'm going to guess that she was terrified. They tried to speak with her, I'm guessing, and she defended herself with her powers. Liz escaped into the ocean, then made her way to her house. Now, she's avoiding us. I managed to get her to respond to a text, asking if she was okay. She said yes, but wouldn't come over and speak with us yet." Marie nodded slowly. "We need to talk with her. If I know Liz at all, she probably thinks that she endangered all of us and won't talk because she feels guilty." Ava and Jemma nodded. The three girls, by some unspoken consent, started to walk down the moonlit street towards their friend's house.

o0O0o

Liz stood at the edge of the cove's sands, the light of the moon painting the world in silver and shadow. A breeze, scented with salt, toyed with the long skirt of her white dress. Her long hair was blown behind her, painting a picture of ethereal beauty. The sound of skittering rocks met her ears, and the girl turned around. Max was making his way down the rocks carefully, dropping onto the sand. "Why did you tell me to meet you here?" He asked. "I have something to show you," Liz said quietly. She moved towards the ocean, bare feet gliding across the sand. She walked into the water, vanishing into the sea. Max stared in wonder as she swam up to the sand, half in and half out of the ocean. Under the dress, a shimmering, blue-scaled tail stretched in place of her legs. A tapping sound rang in Liz's ears as Max drew closer, crouching on the sand beside her. "You're a mermaid," The black-haired boy breathed. Liz nodded, a shy smile on her face. As if drawn by some invisible compulsion, they both leaned forwards. Their lips met- and Liz was suddenly catapulted out of her dream by someone hissing, "Liz!"

The brown haired girl rolled over sleepily, rather irritated. Then she blushed after remembering exactly what had happened in her dream. Marie, Jemma, and Ava were… hovering? in front of her window. "What are you doing here?" She whispered, swinging her legs out of bed and padding over to them. Now that she could see properly, Liz saw that they were actually being held up in the branches of a large leafy plant. Courtesy of Jemma, no doubt. The sleepy mermaid unlatched the window, shivering in the cool air. "Why are you guys here? It's nearly ten at night!" Marie carefully slipped through the window, landing silently on the carpet. The black-haired mermaid rose, wrapping her arms around her friend. "We missed you, Liz. It wasn't your fault what happened." Ava dropped to the carpet as well, Jemma staying outside to make sure that their way down didn't vanish. The Chlorokinetic closed her eyes, letting her Other sight take over. Her Other sight was an extra ability that Jemma had discovered. When her eyes were closed, she could see the life-force and energy of plants and animals around her. They showed up as colored orbs of light, with the black and white outline of their body around them. Jemma had mentally dubbed it 'Life Perception'. Two people in the room down the hall- Liz's parents- and the calm purple orb that was Jenny. Everyone was asleep. She opened her eyes, assured that no one was awake. Ava, Liz, and Marie were standing near the window, the other two comforting Liz. "I shouldn't have stayed away," Liz admitted. "I was scared that I had revealed you guys, and that we would all end up in a fish tank or something. That Steve and his friend would sell us out." Ava sighed. "Liz, even if that had happened, it wouldn't be your fault. Steve and Max ambushed you. You thought you were safe, and they attacked you." Liz rested her head on Ava's shoulder, the three girls leaning on each other. Jemma smiled: they were all together again. She closed her eyes for a brief moment, then quickly closed them again. The purple orb of life that was Jenny was waking up! "Guys!" Jemma hissed. "Jenny's waking up!" Immediately, they erupted into a flurry of motion. Liz slipped back into bed, while Ava and Marie clambered back through the window. "We'll see you tomorrow," Ava whispered quickly before all three of the girls started to shoot towards the ground. They toppled to the grass outside as the plant disappeared, hurrying away towards their separate houses.

Jenny passed by Liz's room, yawning. She shivered as she felt a cool breeze, turning to look at Liz's window. It was open, her older sister's curtains fluttering in the wind. "Huh." She moved along, turning on the bathroom light and closing the door. Liz breathed a sigh of relief, wiggling to find a more comfortable position in an attempt to fall asleep. But the blue-scaled mermaid stayed awake, her mind refusing to turn off. The dream was haunting her. Why would she dream of kissing a boy whose name she had only just learned?

* * *

And so I have given you a little in the way of romance between Max and Liz. Plus, I added a little something to Jemma's power. She can see energy. As for the others... you'll have to wait and see. But take a guess! Please, take a guess, 'cause I have only a few ideas for the others.


	12. Chapter 12: Truce

Two chapters in one day? The muse is on a roll! This chapter is mostly just silly fluff, though it does have a few serious bits. It does further the plot, so it is fluff with a purpose.

* * *

Chapter Twelve

Truce

Ava rolled over, flopping her arm around in an attempt to find the button that would turn her ever-annoying alarm off. It took five tries, and in the end, the redhead simply fell out of bed. "Uuuughhhh." Ava Harris was most definitely NOT a morning person. She slowly dragged herself off of the carpet, stumbling over her closet. Five minutes later, Ava had her clothes (A white blouse, blue jean shorts, sandals) picked out and in a pile under one arm. She made her way into the bathroom, starting the bath and dumping her clothes on the toilet.

Pearly white fins flopped slightly as Ava relaxed in the warm water. Every morning, this was what she looked forward to. That and her occasional evening swim. And using her powers. Really, she just loved every part of being a mermaid. With a sigh, the teen let the water drain out and dried herself off. Time to face the day.

o0O0o

Steve ran down the street. "Max! Wait up!" The brown-haired boy called to his friend. Max obligingly stopped, turning. "Hi, Steve." "Hi. So. We need to talk to Liz." Max stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. "Are you crazy?" "Maybe. Yes, she could wipe us out with a thought like she did on the beach. Yes, she is probably terrified of us. Yes, I know that we are probably the last people she wants to see. But we have to form some sort of truce before she decides to hunt us down and kill us or something." Max hesitated. His friend did have a point. "Fine," He conceded hesitantly. "Oh good. For a minute, I thought that I would have to drag you with me." Max rolled his eyes, following his best friend towards school.

o0O0o

Liz fidgeted in her seat, watching the tiny face of her watch intently. One minute to the end of class. 50 seconds. 30 seconds. 5…4….3….2…1. The bell rang, and she sprang out of her seat, dragging her backpack with her. The brown-haired girl made her way to the hallway, waiting near the door for Ava, Jemma, and Marie to meet with her. The other mermaids showed up quickly, and together, they made their way towards the lawn. They had some free time before their next set of classes, and intended to use it to catch up. They were walking through a mostly empty hallway when Liz heard someone behind them. She whipped around, the others following her gaze to rest on Steve Taylor and Max Edwards. " _You..."_ Marie snarled. The black-haired girl dropped her backpack, calling on her power to form a ball of fire above her hand. She was poised to throw it at them, convince that they were out for Liz again, but Liz placed one hand on her arm. "No, Marie," The hydrokinetic said quietly. Marie let the fire fade away, but still stayed ready for a fight. "What do you want?" Liz asked the two boys.

Steve stepped forwards, his hands in the air. "We just want to talk. And to apologize." That fired Marie up again. "You think you can just apologize? After what you did?" "Marie!" Liz's voice was hard. "Now is not the time." Steve swallowed. This was turning out to be a much more volatile situation than he had expected. "We wanted to say that we were sorry. For what we did. Max and I…. we've dealt with more than a few people with abilities like yours, and several of them had done bad things. We just wanted to make sure that you weren't going to hurt anyone." "So you ambushed me with water guns." One of Liz's eyebrows was lifted in exquisite irony, her brown eyes flinty and hard. "Yes… we really didn't want to hurt you." Max stayed quiet, sensing that no one really wanted his thoughts just then. Besides, he really didn't want to be threatened by a furious pyrokinetic or drowned on dry land. But his bid for anonymity was not going to work. Liz shifted her attention to him. "And you. What do you have to add to this lovely little explanation?" Max was very much intimidated, though he tried not to show it. "Er…. my sincerest apologies for what we did?" Liz's eyes softened a little, and she was suddenly less threatening. "Fine. I accept your apology, and promise not to let Marie burn you to a crisp. As long as you stay away from us. Understood?" Steve and Max nodded. Liz turned her back on them, the four girls walking away and vanishing around a corner. As soon as they were gone, Steve let out a sigh of relief. "Well, we made it out with our lives. She was SCARY." Max nodded in agreement. "At least we got a promise that she won't turn us into human torches or drown us. And who knows what the other two can do," Steve observed. The boys made their way to the next class, not wanting to be late.

o0O0o

Around the corner, Liz finally let a small laugh escape her. "Did you see their faces?" She chuckled. "Yeah. They were scared. I don't think they'll bother us again," Marie laughed along with her, and all four of them dissolved into giggles. Jemma closed her eyes for a moment, sensing that someone was coming. "Come on. We still have some time, and I have no urge to waste it." The green-scaled mermaid dragged her friends with her, Liz still laughing.

They were sitting on the lawn when Marie thought to ask. "Jemma, how do you always close your eyes and know when people are coming or waking up?" Jemma grinned. "A few days after discovering my power, I found out that I have another power. When I close my eyes, I can see the energy of things around me. Plants and animals shot up as orbs of different-colored light with an outline of their bodies around them. Plants tend to be dimmer, like they are constantly asleep. Animals and people, when they are awake, are bright. I call it 'Life Perception'." "Cool..." Ava breathed. "I wonder if you guys have secondary powers like that?" Jemma mused. "We'll have to test if we do!" Liz exclaimed happily. "The cove, tonight?" The others nodded, smiling at both being together again, and going for a swim.

o0O0o

The sun was sinking towards the horizon as the four mermaids made their way cautiously down the path towards the cove. Marie led the way, quickly jumping down the last rock and hitting the sand. Jemma, Liz, and Ava followed, all of them making their way to the edge of the water. Ava dropped her towel on the sand, kicked off her shoes, and ran straight into the water. She yelped- the water was cold! The others followed her, all of them being shocked by the cold except for Marie. "It's not cold!" Marie exclaimed when she rose to the surface. Her ruby tail glittered under the water, casting red shadows on the sand below her. "That must be your secondary power," Liz suggested. "You don't get cold." "Oh well. Does this mean that I can walk across Antarctica in nothing except shorts and a shirt?" Marie laughed, playfully splashing Liz. "Oh, it's ON," The blue-scaled mermaid called on her power, using a water serpent to dunk Marie under. Jemma joined in, splashing the others and using little tendrils of seaweed to tickle Ava. The resulting freeze stuck them all in ice until Marie melted them free and the water fight resumed.

Above, at the top of the path to the cove, Max Edwards sat watching the four mermaids. Four different-colored tails flickered in the ocean, four different heads and four different powers churned the ocean to white. He had been right: all four of them were mermaids. But the black-haired boy was watching only one of them, a brown-haired hydrokinetic with a blue tail. Liz dove under the water after Jemma, her fins slapping water towards the other girls. She dragged the green-scaled mermaid to the surface, both of them laughing wildly as Jemma used tendrils of seaweed to tie her friend up and tickle her. Max silently laughed as Ava crept up behind Jemma and tackled her beneath the water. The fight continued for a few more minutes, but then the mermaids swam up to the beach and dried off. The black-haired boy quickly left, not wanting them to see him. After all, he had promised that he would stay away.

* * *

I realized that this chapter was kind of what I call 'friendshippy'. Like, those kid shows where it's about 'Friends Forever!' and 'Friendship can do anything!'. I personally hate friendshippy stuff, so I'll try to fix that.


	13. Chapter 13: Broken Promise

And here is the next chapter! This one is most definitely exciting, so don't kill me when you reach the end, okay? Enjoy, and please review!

Also: To Izi Wilson: I am reading your 'Tails of a Half Blood' series, and I really like them! It's an interesting take on the series. I'm not done yet, but when I finish I'll most definitely drop a review ;)

* * *

Chapter Thirteen

Broken Promise

The first thought in Jemma's mind when she woke was 'It's Saturday!' The brown-haired teenage scientist threw back the comforter, swinging her legs out of bed and padding over to her laptop. Jemma's pajama bottoms swished as she walked. They were made of light green fabric, and had been worn for many a year. Her shirt wasn't much better: a darker green top with the faded insignia of Snoopy and Woodstock atop the distinctive dog house that had been washed too many times. When she opened the lid, several messages popped up onto the screen. All four of them used an app called Jott to communicate over the internet, as none of them liked Facebook. Too much drama. _Avabear189: Hi! It's Saturday! Want to go out to Isla la Luna?_ The next message was from Marie. _Firegirl20201: I am no longer grounded! I just hope that doesn't happen on the next new moon…_ Liz's message popped up just as Jemma finished reading Marie's. _Aquacoral88: Up yet, sleepyhead? You want to go swimming out to Isla la Luna with me & Ava today?_ Jemma grinned at their messages, settling into her chair to type one of her own. _Naturegrl16: Yep! I'll see you at 10-ish?_ She got off the clear plastic office chair, bouncing around the room and picking out her outfit. Unlike the rest of her friends, Jemma was happy in the mornings. The rest of her family wasn't so eager about it, preferring to sleep as long as possible on the weekends.

o0O0o

Twenty minutes later, Ava and Liz were waiting on the beach for Jemma. They were already in swimsuits, with towels set out on the sand of the cove. Finally, Ava spotted their friend making her way down the path. "Hi guys!" "Hi!" Jemma laid her towel down, and all three of them ran towards the water, diving in. All three of them curved through the water, their legs shimmering and transforming into three glistening tails. A mischievous grin split Liz's face, and the blue-scaled mermaid shot away in a rush of bubbles. Ava and Jemma raced after her, creating a wave above them as they swam towards Isla la Luna.

Jemma was the first to rise into the cave, Ava and Liz close behind. "I still think that you cheated by using your powers to slow us down," Ava said, settling herself on one of the underwater ledges. "There was no ban on powers. I didn't cheat," the green-scaled mermaid defended with a cocky grin. "Oh, but of course you cheated," A soft, oily voice drifted over to them from one corner. All three of the mermaids in the pool looked around wildly. How had someone found this place? "Mermaids always cheat." A throaty giggle sounded from the shadows again as the owner of the voice stepped forwards. Before them, a girl of their own age stood. She had bleach-blond hair that was tangled, her skin almost like white paper stretched over fragile bones. But it was her eyes that were the worst. They were pupil-less black, glistening like the horrible obsidian of a cockroach's carapace. "W-who are you?" Jemma couldn't stop her voice from quivering. Something about this girl was just _wrong,_ in every sense of the word. Every fiber of the mermaid's body urged for her to get away. The girl just chuckled darkly, her laughter like dry bones clattering together. "I am Pnígo. A Siren." "Knee-woe?" Ava couldn't help herself. The name just sounded so incredulous. Pnígo whipped her head around, glaring at the white-scaled mermaid. She hissed. "You would do well to fear me, _mermaid._ My kind have hunted creatures like you for hundreds of years." Liz ducked under the water, trying to get out through the underwater tunnel. But the way was blocked by an invisible barrier that rippled black when Liz hit it.

Above, Pnígo opened her mouth to reveal a row of jagged and broken teeth. She sang, a song of alluring beauty for a creature so hideous. Ava and Jemma's eyes glossed over, blank as if they weren't staring at anything as the notes hit their ears. Under the water, Liz screamed as the sound filtered through. It was like broken glass hitting her ears. The blue-scaled mermaid clasped her hands over her ears, noticing a small puff of red floating past her blurry eyes. Finally, the world simply went dark.

Pnígo looked at her new servants, their green and brown eyes now black to match her own. _:Come.:_ Her words echoed in their heads as the Siren leapt into the pool. Her tail was a ragged, sickly black with tattered fins. Pnígo and her obedient servants swam into the tunnel, the Siren removing the barrier with a flick of her hand and motioning Ava and Jemma to drag the unconscious Liz with them.

o0O0o

Ava dragged Liz up onto the beach, half in, half out of the water. The unconscious girl was still in her mermaid form. Pnígo was standing on the sand beside them, with legs again. The Siren used her powers, manipulating tendrils of seaweed to bind Liz's hands together. _:Good. Find Fire. Find her and return to me.:_ Ava nodded, Jemma following her up the path.

The two mermaids walked towards Marie's house, not stopping for anything. They walked straight across a road, cars swerving to avoid hitting them. A black SUV barreled straight towards the two girls, the driver trying desperately to stop. Jemma threw up one hand, a massive tree erupting from the asphalt and blocking the truck from hitting them. The two teenagers walked away, leaving a scene of destruction behind them.

o0O0o

The doorbell rang, and Marie called, "I'll get it!" She hurried over in her bare feet, opening the door. Ava and Jemma were standing outside, their eyes oddly blank. "Hi! What's up?" The black-haired girl greeted them. But neither girl responded. "Guys? Are you okay? Is this another new moon thing?" She waved one hand over their faces, but their eyes didn't respond. Suddenly, Ava's hand struck out and grabbed Marie's wrist. "Ava! What are you doing!" Ava's blank green eyes swirled black, changing to pupil-less obsidian. Marie stopped struggling against her friend's iron grip, her eyes shifting to match those of Ava and Jemma. Ava released her, and all three of the girls stepped away from the door and started to make their way back to the cove.

o0O0o

Max was walking past the path down to the cove, when a shimmer of blue caught his eye. The black-haired teenager looked again, carefully edging down the path to see better. A very familiar blue-scaled mermaid was laying on the sand, half in, half out of the ocean. Steve came up behind him. "Hi Max." "Look down there," Max said, pointing. "Is that… Liz?" Steve started down the path, Max following. They stopped at the end of the path. "We promised that we would stay away from them," Steve said hesitantly. "She might be in trouble, Steve. Besides, if we don't do something, someone might see her." Max stepped down onto the beach, making his way over to the unconscious mermaid. Liz's hands were bound tightly with seaweed, her wet hair spread in a fan on the sand. Steve followed him, both of the boys kneeling on the sand. Max started to untie the seaweed, or trying to. It appeared to have literally grown in a tight ring around Liz's wrists. The unconscious mermaid's eyes started to flutter: she was waking up. Her eyes shot open, memories cascading down on her head like a waterfall. Liz jerked away from the two boys beside her, panicking. _Pnígo trapping them in the Moon Pool, diving under to try and get out, a painful scream that felt like broken glass, and blackness._ Liz's eyes flicked up to the path, her face draining of blood. Max turned, knowing what he would see. Ava, Jemma, and Marie stood on the path, their hands outstretched and their eyes a solid, pupil-less black.

* * *

Pnígo actually means 'Drown' in Greek. Just a little bit of trivia I thought some of you would appreciate. (I used google translate. I cannot speak a single word of greek, even though I did visit Crete a few years ago)

The user 'October Autumn' brought this up, and I thought I would share it with everybody. The girls did push Steve and Max away, and OA thought it was a bit harsh. a) They were revealed by two boys that they had barely met. b) I wouldn't be very forgiving if said two boys ambushed me with water guns and revealed me as a mermaid.

Yes, Marie did kind of cross the line by threatening their lives. But I had an opportunity to show how much of a fiery, free spirit she was, and how far she would go to protect her friends.


	14. Chapter 14: Siren

I know. I am horribly late. But, I have an excuse! Even though that probably won't cut it...

Life has been insane, since I've had activities and two different sets of people came from out of town to stay with us during two separate weeks. Plus, my muse was being sulky, and I don't write well when I have no ideas. So, even though this is kind of another cliffhanger and a huge surprise, be reassured that my muse is back in gear and I will have the next chapter up before Christmas.

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

Siren

Pnígo grinned, showing her jagged teeth. It would be so easy to get these mermaids to destroy each other. As for the land people…. she would enjoy watching her mermaids rip them apart. The Siren closed her eyes, opening them again to watch the scene from inside her puppets. Three sets of eyes, seeing the world in monochrome, were watching their prey. She forced them to raise their hands, calling on their power. Fire seared through her veins, and for a moment, Pnígo's control slipped. They were fighting. Fighting against her! The Siren clamped back down on them, reinforcing her spell. A large patch of ocean started to bubble as she called upon the strong elemental magics that she controlled, creating a massive sea serpent of seaweed and air and fire. She made her creature turn on the blue-scaled mermaid that was bound on the sand, relishing the terror that emanated off the mermaid and the land people in waves. Their fear was simply _delicious,_ fueling her power. Fire erupted from the monster's maw, swirling towards the blue-scaled mermaid. Liz screamed as the flames engulfed her, hiding the girl from view. "NO!" The black-haired land boy cried, while the other was frozen in shock. Pnígo licked her lips with a bruise-colored tongue, releasing her hold on the other mermaids. Ava, Jemma, and Marie stumbled down the path, breaking into a full-out run. Tears welled up in Ava's eyes as she stared at the rough expanse of glass where Liz had been. There wasn't even a trace of her even having existed. Liz Moore was gone.

o0O0o

Marie completely lost it. Fire crackled in her eyes as she rose from the sand to send a burning glare straight at where Pnígo stood in the shadows. The Siren had a smug smile on her paper-white face. "You. Did. This." Marie could barely recognize the voice as her own. She didn't care, either. The black-haired girl gave herself completely over to the fire burning within her, letting it take control. Flames licked around her obsidian locks, never even singing the hair. Electricity crackled around her fingers, the tendrils of lightning in sharp contrast to her bare arms. Behind her, Ava, Jemma, Max, and Steve unconsciously backed away. For the first time, Ava and Jemma were afraid of their friend. Marie stalked towards the Siren, leaving a trail of scorched sand and granules of glass behind her. "You killed Liz." Pnígo backed away from the furious mermaid, suddenly afraid. "Yessss. I was _born_ to kill mer-folk. You will die. All of you. One by one, I will pick you off. For I am a hunter, and you are the prey." The Siren kept up her bravado, deciding that she had had enough of this. She reached for Marie's consciousness again, but was blocked by walls of fire. This girl was far more talented than she appeared. Thwarted, she switched targets.

Jemma slowly raised one hand, her eyes pure black again. Tendrils of green erupted from the sea, wrapping themselves around her friends, Max, and Steve. :Good,: Pnígo purred. The Siren stalked out of her hiding place, giggling as she past directly by Ava and Marie, who were dangling upside down with tails. "See? You cannot even _hope_ to defeat me." The blond Siren ran towards the water, diving into the sea.

o0O0o

On the beach, the four people were still held in the air by seaweed. Jemma's eyes were still black, seeming to not even move. "Jemma! Don't do this!" Ava cried to her friend. Marie's fire had been doused by the wet plants, but the red-scaled mermaid still wasn't about to give up without a fight. She summoned flames into her hands, trying to get the fire upwards enough to burn through the tendrils. Jemma's head whipped around to look at her with a creepily blank expression. Without a single movement, the girl set more tendrils to wrap around Marie's hands, cocooning her in wet seaweed.

Steve was hanging by his feet, upside down from the slimy plants. He saw an opportunity, glancing over at Max and conveying his plan with a glance. While Jemma was distracted, Steve closed his eyes. His abilities weren't the most developed, and they required a lot of concentration. But they just might work. The brown-haired boy vanished without a sound, and reappeared directly behind Jemma. The possessed mermaid whipped around just in time to get splashed by a handful of water. She flopped to the sand, unconscious with an emerald tail. Max, Ava, and Marie fell to the sand with a loud thump, the two girls with tails still. Jemma's eyes flickered open, the black receding and the girl pressing a hand to her head. "What happened? The last thing I remember was Marie attacking that girl…. Pnígo." Marie dried herself and Ava off, running over. The two mermaids stared at Steve. "How did you do that?" They asked in unison. Steve cringed. "er…. I'm a teleporter. I can vanish and reappear anywhere within a certain range, as long as I know where I'm going." Marie kept her eyes on him, still wary as she dried Jemma off. "So. You didn't think to mention that you can teleport?" A thought struck the pyrokinetic. She turned to look at Max. "Do you have a power?" Max swallowed, looking distinctly guilty. "Yes…. I'm- was- Clairvoyant. I can see the future. Well…. I could. I first learned about my powers when I was 13, then I lost them about a year ago. They returned a few days ago. At least I think so. I dreamed about this happening. I knew that this was going to happen, that Liz was..." He fell silent. "I thought it was just an ordinary dream, so I didn't tell anyone other than Steve." Ava closed her eyes, a tear leaking out and trailing down her cheek. The redhead walked towards the water, Marie calling after her. "Ava! Where are you going?" Ava turned to look at them. "I just need to be alone." She vanished into the water, the others looking helplessly after her.

* * *

Tell me what you think!

Also: If you like superheroes (Spiderman{Never seen it, actually}, the Avengers, Marvel in general) check out a tv show called 'Agents of SHIELD'. In it, Coulson is alive and it is set between the Avengers and Age of Ultron. And past it. I just read an ADORABLE fic about it (No prior knowledge of the show is required). Skye is a kid. Just search 'Giving up is easy, but we'll take the challenge.'


	15. Chapter 15: Alone

I know. I haven't updated in a week. I honestly thought it was longer than that, but still. Here is the next chapter, really just stuff about how they are trying to deal with what happened to Liz. **Warning: This chapter contains lots of angst and a few things that might be a little creepy.** But really, it's not bad. I promise.

Reply Time!

 **Izi Wilson** : Your question will be answered in this chapter!

 **Mermaid and Human Love Forever** : One, I just have to say 'Cool username!'. Two, Thanks for reviewing!

 **Alexa10110** : Thanks for your review ;)

Does anybody watch the show 'Wolfblood'? I just started it a couple days ago, and it's really cool.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen

Alone

 _Am I dead? was the first thought in the girl's mind. There was only darkness around her, with the echoes of strange rattling noises reaching her ears. She couldn't remember what happened. She had been somewhere, and she had been scared of something. Who am I? was her next thought. She couldn't even remember her name. It had been a long one, with an E and an L and a B. She had hated it, thinking that it was too long and frumpy. So why couldn't she remember? Another soft noise drifted through the darkness, something swishing against something else. A delicate chuckle, and a voice like nails on a chalkboard. "Hello, Liz."_

For the second time in three days, Max jolted awake. It was only 3am, and for a moment, he panicked. The faint shadows of the furniture were barely visible, and far too similar to the complete darkness of his dream. The half-awake boy pushed the blanket off, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. Why was he still dreaming? Liz was dead, gone. Yesterday night, clinging to a fragile and nearly nonexistent hope, the five of them had gone home, not telling Liz's parents what had happened to their daughter. They had promised that, after a week, they would tell them what really happened. They would reveal everything- the Moore's deserved to know. For now, there was still a chance. A chance that Liz was alive, that _Pnígo_ had teleported her somewhere, or- _Stop. She's gone, and it's time to face the facts. You still have a Siren running around, who already killed and might kill again,_ Max snapped at himself. They couldn't cling to false hope. It had kept both him and Steve alive multiple times. _No one's ever died,_ that little voice in his head nagged. _Shut up and go back to sleep,_ the Clairvoyant chastised himself, crawling back under the covers.

o0O0o

 _"Who-who are you?" Her voice was shaky. She didn't know where she was, she didn't know who the other person was, she didn't even know her own name! She tried to move her legs, to stand, but couldn't. Her legs wouldn't move. The person laughed again. It was coming from behind her. She whipped around, but the voice spoke again, from the other side. "That doesn't concern you," The voice hissed. "Do you know my name? Where am I?" The voice hissed again, deeper and more like a snarl. Suddenly, the voice sung a high, harsh note. Brilliant light blinded the girl, and she cried out as she clenched her eyes shut. It was too bright! Slowly, she cracked her eyes open. She was inside a rough cave, with water covering part of the floor. She was half-laying on a wet expanse of stone, her legs in the water. She looked at them, expecting to see rope or some sort of binding. Instead, there was only a long, sapphire-scaled tail. "What have you done to me!" She cried out, trying to move. Someone stepped into her line of vision. The girl looked up, and recoiled in horror. Another girl stood there, with glossy black eyes that looked like a cockroach's carapace. Her skin was paper-white, seeming fragile, stretched over bones that would snap at the slightest touch. She had bleach-blond hair with only the slightest hint of color, tangled and matted in dirty curls. "What are you?" The girl breathed. She tried to scramble away, but found that her hands were bound behind her back. The other girl grinned viciously, her teeth jagged and broken points. "I am Pnígo. Hunter of Mer and slayer of Humans. I am a Siren, and to you, death." The girl's face bleached white- this 'Pnígo' was going to kill her. She didn't know where she was, her name, anything! Only snippets of images, things that she knew, but didn't know how she knew. She would die, without anyone knowing what had happened to her. "Why am I here?" She couldn't stop her voice from trembling- she was afraid. No, not afraid. Terrified. Had she been kidnapped? Pnígo knelt down beside her, reaching one fragile hand out towards the girl's tail. She tried to get away, anything to get away. Something about Pnígo was just_ wrong _. Fundamentally wrong, like she wasn't even supposed to exist. A single paper-white fingertip brushed against the girl's scales, and immediately, she cried out in pain. Even the slightest touch was agony, as if this creature's very flesh was poison. "Get away from me!" "Now now Liz, don't struggle. I simply cannot have you escaping. It would ruin all my fun!" Pnígo chuckled, her laugh slowly growing louder until she was giggling hysterically. "Now. Don't struggle, and the agony won't last long."_

o0O0o

Ava's dry, listless eyes looked out the window without really seeing what was outside the glass. The circles under her eyes were dark- the mermaid hadn't slept all night. How could she sleep? Her best friend, who she had known for more than six years, had been murdered right in front of her eyes. Even when Ava had dozed off, her dreams had been haunted by the same images, playing behind her eyes like a broken CD. Pnígo grinning viciously, Liz raising one arm to try and shield herself before fire consumed her, a scream of raw pain, and falling to the sand on her knees, staring at the place where Liz had been. Memories. But the worst part was what hadn't even happened. At the end of the dream, just before Ava woke, she was forced to watch as her traitorous mind played a scene. An expanse of rough glass was beneath the scorched and burned corpse of something that wasn't even recognizable as Liz. Ava had screamed, loudly enough to wake the entire house. Her parents had come running in, to find their daughter clutching a pillow like it was the only thing keeping her alive, sobbing. Her mom had tried to comfort her, but they had fled the room, leaving the red-haired mermaid alone. Completely alone. Dispassionately, completely detached from everything around her, Ava observed that she did have more tears to cry after all. Slowly, the almost-full moon sank below the horizon as the newborn sun rose, painting the sky with pinks and purples. But Ava's window faced the west, and she was left in the dark, in the cold, as the day began.

o0O0o

 _Liz is dead._ Three words, etched onto the off-white sheet of paper. Three words, written in black ink, that seemed to have been written in blood. Three words that carried more weight than anything else, for they told of an unspeakable tragedy. The paper was stained with drops of salt water, blurring the carefully written symbols. Another joined them, sliding down a lightly freckled cheek to drip off a curved chin and splash onto the paper. Marie took a shaky breath, the air seeming to burn her lungs. A headache pounded behind her eyes, but she ignored it, staring at the paper. She was sitting cross-legged on the carpet, behind her bed. The mermaid had been there for hours, trying to bring herself to write those irrefutable words. Finally, she had. And she hated herself for it. She wanted to believe it wasn't true, that it was only a dream, a terrible nightmare. But it was true. It was true, and nothing would change that. Marie had seen death before. Her grandmother had died, and Marie had been there to see the polished wooden coffin lowered into the ground. Her father had cried silently at the burial. It was the first time that the ten-year-old girl had ever seen him cry. Marie was knew what death was. She had seen it, and knew that her grandmother would never wake up. Her mother had taken her aside after the funeral, trying to explain to the little girl what had happened. Her grandma's heart had stopped, and she never woke up. She wouldn't be able to play with Marie, or visit, or write her letters. Now, she was with God in Heaven, her mother had said. Grandma was happy and safe and she would never get hurt again. And she was watching from up above, always watching over Marie. Then, the little girl believed her mother's words. It had been Grandma's time. But Liz… she was only 15. She never got to drive, to have a boyfriend, to get married or have a family. It was too cruel. She shouldn't have died. "Why?" Marie whispered. "Why did she have to die? Why did you kill her?!" Her voice rose, then she fell silent again. "You're cruel. I wanted her to stay, to stay with me and Ava and Jemma and her family. I _needed_ her to stay." The black-haired mermaid sobbed on the floor, the diary falling from her fingers to land on the carpet with a thump.

o0O0o

Jemma lay in a small corner of her backyard, her legs curled under her. Her brown hair was fanned around her head in a halo, her eyes closed and her face peaceful. A picture frame was clutched in her arms, the carved wood surrounding a picture of four smiling girls. They were standing on a beach, all of them squashed into the image. Ava's arm was stretched out, vanishing out of the frame to hold the camera. They all had ridiculously happy grins, standing in the hot sun with the calm ocean behind them. It was the day they had finished middle school, and Marie still had her hair cut short, halfway down her neck. She had professed that it looked awful with her curls, but everyone else had told her it was adorable. Ava's face was red- that was the year she had gotten so badly sunburnt that she looked like a tomato all summer. Jemma herself was wearing a massive green sunhat and sunglasses in her bathing suit. Liz's brown hair was only to her shoulders, with a brilliant streak of blue near her face. It was an extension, since dye wouldn't go well in brown hair. The time they had tried it at home…. the strip of color turned nasty green. Not nice green, green like pond scum. It hadn't come out for months. That day had been incredibly happy. Summer, done with middle school forever, and they were all together.

"Jemma!" Someone called. Her mom, Kaitlyn, stepped out the back door, looking around the yard for her daughter. Her hazel eyes passed over the place where tiny white flowers had grown, seemingly overnight, starting towards where her daughter lay in the grass. Jemma was asleep, clutching a picture frame. Kaitlyn bent down. "Jemma. Wake up!" Her daughter's eyes shot open, and she shot out an arm to grab her mother's wrist in a vice grip. The girl realized that it was her mom, releasing her. "Why are you out here, honey?" Jemma blinked, sitting upright and looking around. She vaguely remembered having a nightmare, then running across the grass in the moonlight. "Oh… I- don't actually know. Maybe I sleepwalked out here?" "Come on." Kaitlyn held out one hand to help her daughter up. Jemma took it, standing. Her pajamas had grass stains on them, but the usually neat girl didn't even notice. They walked back to the house, Jemma still holding the picture frame in one hand. Only, now there were little words etched into the wood of the frame. _Remember the happy times, learn from the bad, and never forget._

* * *

 **Soundtrack for this chapter:**

A Promise That I'll Keep _by_ _Lisa Knapp (Wolfblood Theme Song)_

Open Your Eyes _by Bea Miller (Deep Blue Songspell)_

Here's To Never Growing Up _by Avril Lavigne_

This Will Be The Day _by Jeff Williams_

Young Blood _by Bea Miller_

Ignite _by Skye Holland_

o0O0o

This chapter does mention religion, and I do not mean any offense. I swear. But I've known a few people where they struggled a bit with faith after a tragedy, and I'm trying to draw from experience. I'm not bashing anyone or anything of the sort.

The whole 'blue hair dye turned green' has actually happened to me. It was supposed to be blue, but since my hair has red in it, it turned a nasty green. Didn't come out for a while. Then I got my hair cut short (Like Marie in the picture) and added a blue extension (Like Liz, also in the picture).


	16. Chapter 16: Captive

This chapter is 98% build up to the events of the next chapter, where I get the immense satisfaction of kicking Pnígo's tail. Well... really, my characters do the tail-kicking, but I'm with them in spirit!

Go check out the poll in my profile!

Slight trigger warning for a little bit of gore- namely, Pnígo killing a pair of people. If you need to, go ahead and skip the part after the line 'another rift torn'. There's really not a lot that you'll miss, but there's a summary at the end.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen

Captive

 _The girl gasped for air, trying to breathe over the pain. Pnígo had been torturing her for what seemed like eternity, though one small, rational part of her mind said that it could only have been a few hours. That part was slowly disintegrating, vanishing among the pulsing tidal waves of pain. The Siren stood, her paper-white skin noticeably less fragile-looking and her hair more golden. She was sucking the life out of her captive, using it to keep herself beautiful. Pnígo grinned savagely, stepping into the water. When she surfaced, a fish tail replaced her legs. It was a dull orange, not shimmering like the girl's own, and mottled with black. "Good…" The Siren hissed in pleasure, her voice coming out rough, but more human as opposed to the previous 'rattling bones' tone. Her captive was laying limp on the rocks, completely drained. She could actually feel herself growing weaker as the Siren drained her. Soon, there would be nothing left. The sharp sound of a boat engine sounded outside of the cave, and Pnígo froze. The Siren snarled, snapping her fingers. A strip of fabric wrapped itself around the girl's mouth, preventing her from making a sound as Pnígo vanished under the water._

o0O0o

Pnígo swam out of the sea cave, her blotchy black and orange tail propelling her through the water. She was so close, so incredibly close. It had been nearly 25 years since she had drained a mermaid, and in she was far too near to death. Sirens weren't even supposed to exist, as they were mermaids who had turned evil. The moon punished them, stripping away their powers and beauty until they were nothing but husks. To stay alive, a Siren had to drain the life-force of a mermaid, regaining their beauty and powers. But the stolen lives only lasted for so long, and had to be renewed every few decades, lest the Siren waste away and crumble to dust.

Outside, the sky was bright and clear, a beautiful shade of blue. A motorboat was floating a short way from the hidden cave entrance, two people standing in it. "See? I told you this was a bad idea," One of them yelled. He was nothing special, with brown hair whisked up in that _ridiculous_ style and plain blue eyes. The other man ignored him, tinkering with the little metal box that made the boat go. He was more reasonable-looking, with blond hair and a beard. Pnígo grinned, showing her teeth. They were less jagged, but still too sharp and pointy for her to be normal. The humans disturbing her peace and regeneration were males. Too easy. The Siren swam over to the boat, poking her head out and smiling mischievously. Her prey rushed over, staring at her. "Whoa… A real live mermaid!" Ridiculous haircut exclaimed. He pulled out a phone, obviously videoing her. Pnígo opened her mouth, a beautiful sound splitting the quiet. Both of the men's faces went blank, their eyes dull and listless. Once assured that they were under her power, the Siren struck, lunging onto the boat and using her fangs to tear into the humans who dared disturb her.

The boat flipped over, red staining the water as the Siren ravaged her prey. The phone sank down to the ocean floor, the black case glinting in the light and the tiny camera still recording until it hit a rock and fizzed out.

o0O0o

Marie couldn't bring herself to swim. If she hadn't texted Liz about that trip to Isla la Luna, she would never have become a mermaid, and Liz would still be alive. Ava and Jemma sat on the sand beside their friend, all three of them looking out at the wonder. Jemma tried again. "Marie, it wasn't your fault. We have to accept it, and move on. Liz would want us to do that, to go on living, instead of mourning her. She loved being a mermaid, and the best way to honor her memory is to cherish that." Marie shot upright. "You want us to just 'go on living' and forget? I can never forget. Liz was _murdered_ , and you want us to just forget that?" The black-haired girl exploded. "Marie…" Ava began, but Marie cut her off. "No! You don't get to speak. If you want to go back to your perfect little life and pretend that none of this ever happened, go ahead. But I'm sure as hell not going to let that Siren get away with this." The pyrokinetic ran towards the water, diving in and disappearing. Ava and Jemma were left to stare after her, another rift torn among the four.

o0O0o

A crimson fin flickered in the watery light of the sinking sun. It was delicate, yet powerful, as was demonstrated by the speed that its owner was swimming. Marie Jackson shot through the ocean, flying past schools of fish and outcroppings of rock. She finally stopped when she judged that she was far enough away. Away from land, away from her friends, away from everything. A cloud of red drifted past her in the water. Blood. The mermaid slowly swam towards its source, wondering if she should be swimming the other direction. The red grew thicker, casting a haze over the water. Marie swam past an outcropping of rock, then her eyes went wide in horror. A shredded motorboat rested at the bottom of the ocean, two mutilated corpses floating limply beside it. They were barely recognizable as human, with limbs wrenched off and raw gashes slicing across every inch of skin. Marie had to look away, trying to keep from being sick. Something brushed against her fins, and the mermaid looked down. A phone was drifting in the current, the glossy black case glinting. Marie scooped it up, looking at the screen through the red haze. A grainy image of a splotchy orange and black tail was captured therein, with clouds of blood around it. Marie looked around, trying to make sure that the creature wasn't coming. There were only sharks circling, ignoring her. The mermaid quickly swam away, torpedoing through the water back towards the beach.

o0O0o

Marie poked her head out of the water, and seeing only Ava and Jemma, shouted, "Guys!" The other mermaid ran over as Marie hauled herself out of the water and dried off. "What?" Jemma asked. Marie only held out a black phone, the grainy image of a certain Siren captured on the screen. "You found Pnígo?" Ava gasped. Marie's eyes were cold and hard. "Yes. And I'm going to go back there, and make the bitch pay." "We're coming with you." Marie's head shot up. Standing at the bottom of the path, was Max Edwards and Steve Taylor. "We might not have known Liz well, but Pnígo won't stop. Sirens constantly need to feed, and you don't want to know what their prey are." "Come on, then." Marie marched towards the water, diving in and surfacing a short ways from the beach. "How will you get there?" Jemma thought to ask. Steve rummaged around in his pocket for a moment, coming up with a polished black stone. "Here. Just take it with you, and when you set it down somewhere, I'll be able to teleport there. Just make sure it's somewhere that is not in the middle of the ocean." Jemma nodded, running towards the sea with Ava. The boys watched them go before Max turned to Steve. "Are you sure this is going to work? Pnígo is an Elder Siren. She's not some weakling who we can take down with a few powers." Steve nodded. "You're right. But, they don't just have a few powers. Tonight is the full moon, their first. Their powers will be amplified tenfold, both by the moon and their proximity to each other. Besides, Sirens are weakened by the full moon. We can defeat her." The brown-haired boy suddenly stiffened, his eyes distant. "They've arrived." He grabbed Max by one arm, vanishing without a trace save for two sets of footprints.

* * *

Summary of what happened after the line 'another rift torn', for if you skipped that part.

 _Pnígo killed a pair of people, but was photographed by one of the people's phones. Marie found what happened to them, and brought the phone, with the image of the Siren on it, back to the beach.  
_

Also: I GOT SNOW TODAY! Nice, beautiful, pristine snow. It wasn't all icky and grey out, just beautifully clear and bright. I had a snowball fight with my sister, (which I completely owned her at), made snow angels, a fort, and a snowman. My sis went inside after the snowball fight, so I made the snowman on my own. No, his name is not Olaf. He is 'Milton the Melting Snowman'.


	17. Chapter 17: Pnígo

Yay! Christmas is getting close! As an early gift (Or maybe just the result of a muse gone wild) I present to you a 2,519 word chapter. Enjoy, and review!

* * *

Chapter Seventeen

Pnígo

Max and Steve reappeared on a rock, near the entrance to a sea cave. Ava and Jemma jumped when they just appeared, but Marie's eyes were fixed on the cave entrance with a single-minded intensity. "Pnígo should be inside the cave," The black-haired mermaid informed them without looking. She slipped off of the rock into the still-red water, vanishing with a splash. Ava and Jemma followed, Jemma scooping up Steve's rock so that the boys didn't have to swim. The three mermaids swam silently, close to the seabed. Marie led the way into the cave, poking her head out of the water underneath a ledge. Ava popped up on her left, Jemma on the right. They looked around, searching for the Siren. Ava's green eyes latched onto a flicker of movement, and the white-scaled mermaid slapped a hand over her mouth to keep from gasping. Jemma and Marie stared at her as Ava pointed to a dark corner with a shaky hand. Laying on the slick rock was a mermaid with dark brown hair and sapphire scales. It was Liz.

Above them, someone laughed darkly. "Come on out, little mermaids. I know you're there…" Marie clenched her fists, ready to burst out of hiding and annihilate the Siren who had caused them so much grief, but Jemma placed a wet hand on her shoulder. The unspoken message was clear: _Not yet._ Slowly, all three of them came out from underneath the ledge, Jemma edging closer to where the rocks dipped into the water. "Why did you do this Pnígo? Why would you make it look like you killed Liz?" Ava's voice was ice-cold and hard as steel. Her pale face was expressionless, but the hatred in her eyes almost made the Siren stumble back. "I still need to… recharge, as you primitive humans would put it. I have lived for more than 100 years, and the only reason I've been able to do that is by draining your pitiful life-force. Your friend should keep me alive for a few more decades before I have to drain another mermaid. Besides. She is _so_ much fun. Writhing all over the place and screaming. Fear does make such a delicious sauce." Marie snarled, her hand starting to rise from the water. Ava grabbed her hand, forcing it back under the water. "It's over, Pnígo. Let Liz go, and we'll let you live." Pnígo raised a sharp eyebrow. "You really expect me to just 'let Liz go'?" She mocked. "I still haven't drained all of her life yet. If you take her now, it will be incomplete!" The Siren walked around the water, prowling towards the barely conscious Liz. "Stay away from her!" Marie wrenched her hand out of Ava's grip, sending a fireball coursing towards Pnígo. The Siren whipped around, plucking the fireball from the air and crushing it in one hand. Hatred twisted her face, a venomous snarl showing her pointed teeth. "You _dare_ attack me. You come into my lair and try to steal my prey from me, then attack me. No, no, little mermaids. I think it's time to show you what _real_ power is." The Siren opened her mouth, and they only had a split second warning before an earsplitting sound filled the cave. It was like glass shattering against a chalkboard, like cockroaches crawling over skin, like nails being driven into your ears. The mermaids writhed in the water, their hand clamped over their ears. Steve's rock slipped from Jemma's fingers to sink to the seabed. As soon as it touched, Steve grabbed Max's arm and they appeared under the water. Immediately, both boys cried out in pain. The sound was piercing their ears! Max tried to swim to the surface, the sound buffeting against him. Steve vanished, reappearing at different locations around the cave in an attempt to escape Pnígo's song. His senses were completely on the fritz, giving him not indication of where he was going to end up. The brown-haired boy appeared directly above Pnígo, tumbling on top of the Siren and knocking her over. Pnígo's song was abruptly cut off, and all of the other people in the cave immediately felt the relief. Max splashed out of the water, running over to Steve and helping him up. Ava, Jemma, and Marie hauled themselves out of the water, drying off. Jemma flicked her wrist, tendrils of seaweed springing from the water and wrapping themselves around Pnígo's wrists. The three girls ran across the cave to where Liz was, kneeling beside their unconscious friend. Marie clawed at the frayed rope around Liz's limp wrists, trying to get it off. Once it was broken, the pyrokinetic threw it aside. She just stared, barely believing that it was true, that Liz Moore was alive. Marie slowly reached one shaking hand out, brushing a fine strand of hair away from her friend's face. Slowly, Liz's eyes opened. Immediately, she tried to struggle upright, to scramble away from them. "Who-who are you?" The frightened girl whispered. "Liz, it's us. Ava, Jemma, and Marie," Ava said soothingly, reaching one hand out to the mermaid. Liz flinched away, and Ava pulled her hand back as if she had been stung. "I don't know you!"

o0O0o

Behind them, Max was staring over at the frightened Liz. "Do you think she'll get her memories back?" The black-haired boy murmured to his friend from where they sat, guarding Pnígo. "I don't know," Steve replied softly. "If Pnígo was stealing her life-force, there's a good chance that she stole Liz's memories too." Beside them, the Siren glared at the two boys. Seaweed was wrapped around her mouth and her legs had morphed into her dull orange-black tail. She curled her long, pointed fingernails against the bindings, starting to scratch at them. They broke with a snap, and she tore away her gag.

Liz cried out as Pnígo lunged at the two boys. "Look out!" Max and Steve spun around, the teleporter grabbing his friend and vanishing just as the Siren's clawlike nails slashed through the place where Max's eyes had been an instant before. The boys reappeared beside the four mermaids as Pnígo ran towards them, bloodlust in her black eyes. Marie rose from her place beside Liz, a ball of fire springing to life above her palm. "You shouldn't have messed with me," The mermaid hissed. She threw the fire, stoking it to a nearly unbearable intensity as it swirled around the Siren. Ava threw out her hand, her usually green eyes being eclipsed by milky white as air howled through the cave. Jemma followed, closing her eyes as plants erupted through the rock and from the water, snaking through the air to encircle their enemy. As the full moon rose above the horizon, the four mermaids felt a rush of power race through them. Rocks started to tremble around Marie, flying into the air to join the storm of elements. Chunks of ice joined the storm, moisture freezing into projectiles. In the middle, Pnígo's face was twisted into a snarl as she deflected the attack around her. The air in the cave was stiflingly hot, drying Liz's tail out completely. The brown-haired girl rose from the ground, as if following some innate instinct. She threw out her arms, water rising with a roar from the tunnel that led to the ocean, and funneled it into a cyclone around the creature that had tortured her, stolen her memories, her freedom, and nearly her life. All four mermaids threw themselves into the magic, until Pnígo finally faltered. With a scream, the Siren was consumed by the elements, the excess power exploding outwards in a shockwave. The four girls collapsed to the floor of the cave, completely out of it. The cave ceiling started to tremble, dust pouring down from the rocks. Max and Steve ran over to the mermaids, trying to drag them towards the water as rocks started to fall. Before they could reach the sea, the entrance completely collapsed, leaving them in total darkness.

o0O0o

Coughing broke the silence, accompanied by someone shifting and rocks skittering. "Hello?" Steve called through the black, trying to see something, anything. He stretched out a questing hand, trying to identify how large this space he was trapped in was. He felt something soft, and reached closer. Someone else grabbed his hand. "Steve, it's me." "Max? Where are the others?" "I don't know, but I think they're in here with us. Liz is next to me, but I don't know where Ava, Jemma, and Marie are." Another groan split the silence. "What happened?" A distinctly female voice moaned. "Why is it all dark?" "You guys defeated Pnígo, but the magic you used caused the cave to collapse," Max explained. "Max?" "Yes. Steve's here too. Who are you?" "Jemma. Where are the others?" Someone moved around, a hand brushing Steve's face and quickly being pulled away. "We have to get out of here. There's only so much air, and sooner or later we'll run out," The mermaid voiced, accompanied by the sound of skittering rocks. "Nope, there aren't any tunnels or anything else." "Steve, could you teleport us out?" That was Max. A heavy sigh, and then Steve responded. "It's really hard to teleport when I can't see where I'm going or be able to sense my rock. I can try, based off my mental image of the outside, but I can't guarantee it'll work." A brief flash of slightly brighter light, and he was gone.

o0O0o

Steve almost tumbled into the water when he suddenly appeared on the rocks outside of the cave, the light nearly blinding him. "Well. That worked." He was poised to vanish again, but realized that he didn't have a reference point. All he knew in the cave was darkness. Frantically, the brown-haired boy racked his brain. An image of Jemma popped into his head, with a smile on her face and her curly hair down. Mentally, he shook his head at himself, but went with it anyway. He vanished, not even leaving a trace that he was there.

o0O0o

Jemma shrieked when something heavy just appeared half on top of her. A muffled "Sorry" reached her ears. Steve scrabbled around, grabbing someone's hand and vanishing with them. He reappeared outside, still holding the hand of the unconscious Marie. Soon, all six people were outside of the cave. "We have to get out of here," Jemma said. "Can you get us to the mainland?" She asked Steve, looking around at the dark sea. The brown-haired boy shook his head, breathing heavily. "Are you okay?" "Teleporting uses up some of his energy when he does it. After doing that, and transporting so many people, doing it again could put him in a coma or kill him," Max explained while Steve caught his breath. Jemma nodded. She looked over at Ava, Liz, and Marie. "I'll wake them up, and maybe we can take you back to shore." She crouched beside the three unconscious girls, shaking her friends. "What happened?" Ava groaned, reaching one hand up to feel a sizeable lump through her hair. "We defeated Pnígo, but I guess the cave collapsed. Steve got us out, but we need a way back to the mainland and he's too tired to teleport again." Ava nodded, then cursed under her breath when the motion made her head throb. "We could swim. Have you guys come with us, and we can surface for air when you need it," Marie suggested. Jemma looked over at the two boys. "What do you think?" "Yes," Was Max's answer. Steve just nodded. "Okay. I still have no idea who any of you are, and what the hell happened back there!" Liz's voice cut through the silence, her tone tinged with panic. "You still don't have your memory back?" Max asked worriedly. "But once Pnígo died, the life that she stole, and the memories, should have returned to you." "No! All I have are snapshots of feelings, and memories, but no names. I can see places and faces, but don't know where or what or who they are!" Liz turned to Marie. "I can envision you with short hair and swimming with you, but I don't know your name or how I know you. I know that all three of you are friends, but you two make me nervous, and you give me some sort of warm feeling. I don't know how to describe it. Like butterflies." She pointed to the mermaids, Steve and Max, and finally just Max. "Maybe the memories are just taking a while to reintegrate themselves into her brain," Steve suggested. Jemma stood, grabbing Steve by the wrist and walking across the rocks to the other side. "Look, Steve. I have to know the truth. Will Liz ever regain her memories?" The teenage boy sighed. "I don't know. This hasn't ever happened, and supposedly, memory restoration is a very tricky process. I've read about it, and people might never regain their memories, or they might be just fine, or the memories will return too quickly and could break their mind and put them in a coma. Or it might just kill them altogether. I don't have all the answers, Jemma. We just have to guide her through this, and hope that it'll work out." Jemma looked at him for a moment, then nodded sadly. The brown-haired boy went to walk away, but Jemma grabbed his wrist again. "Steve…. I just want to say thank you. For helping us defeat Pnígo and for getting us out of that cave." He smiled, just a small quirk of his lips. "Anytime."

o0O0o

"Okay, Liz, don't freak out. We have to get back to the mainland, and to do that, we have to swim," Ava instructed her friend. The red-haired mermaid stepped into the water, taking Liz's hand and pulling her in as well. "I could say the same to you…" Liz said uneasily. Ava dove underneath the water just as Liz toppled over, both of them with tails. "Ack!" Liz sputtered, paddling over to the rocks and holding on. Ava swam up beside her, her white tail glimmering in the water. "You're like me!" Liz exclaimed. "Yes. You've had your tail for nearly two weeks. All four of us got them by accident, and we have powers too," The Air mermaid explained. Liz nodded as Marie dove off of the rocks, creating a large wave. She surfaced beside them. "Okay. Liz, you and Ava will be going together. Jemma and I will help Max and Steve." At the blank look on Liz's face, Marie hastily elaborated. "Steve is the one with the brown hair, and Max is the one with the black hair." "Oh." Jemma joined them, and finally Max and Steve slipped into the water beside the four mermaids. Marie firmly grasped Max's hand, diving under and dragging him with her as she torpedoed along the coast. Jemma and Steve followed with Ava and Liz, until there was no sign that the six people had been there at all.

* * *

Most of this, such as a Siren's powers, and Steve using energy when he teleports, is stuff from the dark scary corners of my mind (My mind is a scary place, just saying). Although, the whole 'using energy' thing was borrowed from Eragon and the Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, two AMAZING series.

 **The playlist for this chapter:**

Same as last time, plus one.

 _Hurry up and save me_ by Tiffany Giardina. I listen to it on a Youtube playlist that I made (Sorry, it's private). There is a wonderful Jackunzel video that does with it, if you like that ship.


	18. Chapter 18: Remember

Okay. Yes. I'm late. Horribly so. But, in my defense, I've had a cold since Friday. Plus a nasty cold sore, and some sort of bizarre bacterial skin infection on my right arm, so cut me some slack please? Besides, I didn't want to just churn out a bad chapter quickly, rather than waiting and writing a good one. So here it is. Your collective early Christmas present (If you celebrate Christmas, of course).

Also: I received a nice review from the guest reviewer known only as 'angel'. Your review was very touching, and I quote (With a little bit of spell check, no offense) 'You are one of the best author's I've had the pleasure to read. UP THE GOOD WORK!'. Thank you very much 'angel', and this chapter is for you. Mostly because it's what forced me to work on this chapter ;)

Again. Just one more thing: Please, please take the poll on my profile. I'm really curious.

* * *

Chapter Eighteen

Remember

It was nearly 10:00 at night when the six people stumbled out of the water in the cove. Everyone was exhausted, Marie, Jemma, and Steve most of all. Swimming with someone who was not a mermaid was much more tiring. "We have to get home," Marie said before her legs gave out and she toppled forwards into the sand. Max helped her up, supporting the black-haired girl. "Are you okay?" Marie nodded. "Just tired." She sat down on the sand with a thump, while Max looked over at Liz. "Do you think we should take her home? If she regains her memories during the night, she might accidentally change and reveal herself. Besides, her parents might question her, and who knows what that might do. It might bring back her memories, or just drive them further away," Max said softly. Marie nodded. "It would probably be best if she were to stay with one of us for the night." She struggled to her feet, walking over to Jemma and Ava. "I don't think that Liz should go back home yet. If her memories return, she might accidentally reveal herself," The pyrokinetic explained to her friends. "She could stay at my house for tonight. It's big enough, and my mom's out of town again. It'll just be us and my dad, and it'll be easy enough to avoid my dad," Ava suggested. The three girls turned to look at their friend. "Agreed," Jemma said.

o0O0o

Liz stared around the high-ceilinged entryway of the Harris home. "Wow…" The mermaid breathed. "Are you rich?" Ava felt a pang. Liz couldn't even remember what her house looked like, despite the fact that she had visited on numerous occasions. "Yeah. My mom's a lawyer, and she's out of town a lot- like tonight- so it's usually just me and my dad." Liz nodded. "Come on. You can stay in my room." Ava led her friend up the stairs, down the hall, and stopped before a plain white door. The redhead fished a key out from one of her pockets, glancing around before she unlocked the door and invited Liz inside. "You can stay in here until you regain your memories. It might be a few hours, or a few days, so until then you're safe here." "Safe? But why do I need to be safe?" The brown-haired girl asked quizzically. "Well… you know that you have a tail, right?" Liz nodded. "If someone discovered you while you were regaining your memories, and if you accidentally transformed, they might hurt you or something," Ava tried to keep it simple, knowing that her friend probably had no reference for being experimented on or anything like that. Once again, for what seemed to be the thousandth time, Ava cursed Pnígo with the most inventive combination of insults that she could think of. Ava looked around, searching for something to do while Liz just wandered around the room, looking at all sorts of things. "Hey- what's this?" The brown-haired girl asked, pointing to Ava's closed laptop. "Oh. That's my laptop," Ava explained, feeling another pang. Could she have prevented this? Could she have stopped Pnígo if she had been stronger, or faster, or hadn't just accepted that Liz was dead? They lived in a world of magic now: she herself was a mermaid, a creature that wasn't even supposed to exist outside of fairytales, with powers that let her control air and freeze things instantly! There had to been a way to resurrect her, if Liz had truly been gone. Liz nodded absentmindedly, then her mouth fell open. "I know what that is now! I knew the word, and I remembered what it looked like, along with several different variations, but I just couldn't connect them! I can remember things!" Her brown eyes were ecstatically happy, and it was all that Ava could do to keep from bursting into tears. "I can show you some other things. Maybe you'll be able to remember some other stuff."

o0O0o

Liz sat on Ava's bed, her legs crossed and her eyes completely absorbed with the paper. Slowly, oh-so-carefully, she moved the pencil over the smooth paper, leaving a faint grey line. Ava paced the floor, glancing over at her friend every few seconds. As soon as Ava had shown her how to draw something, the amnesiac girl had just taken off. She had been just drawing one symbol, over and over, for the past hour. Ava had been able to get a hold of Marie and Jemma, but Marie had been grounded again after she wouldn't tell her parents where she'd disappeared to all evening, and Jemma hadn't been able to sneak out. Jemma had promised to come over first thing in the morning, and that she would call Max and Steve in case something went wrong, but Ava hadn't heard anything from any of them yet. The redhead glanced over at her friend again, moving over to the bed. She reached one hand out to pick up a loose sheet of paper that had the same symbol scattered all over it, but Liz's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist before she even had a chance to blink. Ava jumped a mile in the air, whipping her head over to look at her friend fast enough to almost give herself whiplash. Liz simply looked at her oddly, before holding up the piece of paper that she had been working on. "Do you know what this is?" The mermaid asked innocently. Ava blinked, pulling her wrist out of Liz's grip. "Uhh…. no. I don't." The symbol on the paper was complex, yet not so at the same time. It was nothing like Ava had seen before, with a horizontal oval, with a dot in the center. Three lines branched off of the oval, on the bottom right corner curved gracefully, the bottom left one also a curved line, but less graceful and more straight. The last one, on the very top, was almost like half of a lightning bolt. "What is it?" Ava breathed. It was familiar and not familiar. She knew what it meant, but didn't at the same time. Liz blinked slowly, looking down at the symbol, drawn in shades of grey pencil. "No. It's familiar, and not familiar at the same. It's like…. an enigma. A contradiction. Familiar, and not familiar. It's complex, and yet not complex. I know it, but I also don't." Ava just sighed tiredly. _Add 'mysterious symbol' to the list of things we don't know and have to figure out,_ She grumbled internally. "Let's just get some sleep. I think that both of us need it."

o0O0o

It was almost 4 am when both Ava and Liz woke up screaming. Liz was curled in a ball on the sheets, blankets pushed completely away from her and halfway across the floor. Her hands were clamped firmly over her ears and the brunette rocked back and forth, her lips forming words faster than anyone could read. Ava nearly mirrored her, hands clamped over her ears and curled in a ball. Sounds screamed through the red-haired girl's head, words being shouted and images flashing through her brain. _"LIZ!" A woman shouted as a little brown-haired girl ran away giggling, a still-running hose clutched in her tiny hands- "Hi. I'm Liz Moore." "Jemma Thompson. This is Marie Jackson, and Ava Harris." "Nice to meet you."- "Liz, I'm so sorry." "Just go away Amy. I'll never forgive you for what you did." A short, blond girl slowly walked away from the bed, lip quivering as a tear dripped from her blue eye- "If you don't shape up in PE, I'm going to have to fail you, Miss Moore. Make sure that doesn't happen." A brunette walking away from a slightly balding older man, clutching her books to her chest- Her eyes accidentally locking with another pair of brown ones. Feeling a strange warmth spread through her and looking away and looking out of the corner of her eye as the owner of the brown eyes walked away, then glancing properly at them- Someone suddenly shouted and a girl whipped around, her hair flying. Jets of water sprayed her, and a look of fear struck her face. She started to run towards the ocean, but a familiar dark-haired boy grabbed her wrist. She felt herself change, falling to the sand as she fainted- Waking up on the sand, two boys with brown and black hair kneeling beside her, her wrists bound tightly with seaweed and her legs fused into a tail. Jerking away from the two boys in fear, and her face draining of blood as she saw the black-eyed Ava, Jemma, and Marie standing on the path- Screaming in fear as fire shot towards her, then sudden blackness-_ Liz screamed again, a hoarse, guttural sound as her eyes flew open and she let her hands fall from her ears. As soon as Liz screamed, Ava felt the barrage of _soundsightsmellfeel_ lessen, the noise and the memories dying away. "Liz?" She barely dared to breathe: did Liz have her memories back? Slowly, the brunette raised her head, her chocolate eyes meeting Ava's green ones. "Ava? What happened?" Ava let out a choked sob, tears spilling from her eyes as she lunged forwards, tackling Liz in a hug. Resting her head on her friend's shoulder, Ava just cried tears of joy. "You're back. You're really back."

* * *

Like? Dislike? The symbol will come into play later, I promise. *Evil chuckle* And if anyone can guess what happened to Ava while Liz was regaining her memories, drop me a line. I really want to know what you guess!

Also: If anyone was confused about Liz's sister 'Amy' from the flashback, Liz has two sisters, Amy and Jenny. They're a few years apart, and to be honest, I completely forgot about Amy.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! (Or what ever you celebrate!) Please, give a review as a Christmas gift?


	19. Chapter 19: Remnants

Alrighty! Here you go. A nice, long, 2,205 word chapter with a wicked cliffhanger at the end. :) Enjoy, review, favorite, follow, you know the drill.

Review time!

22arogers: 'Abby Striga' was just a random name that I came up with, to provide an example of what Max and Steve have done in the past. A Striga is an evil witch, (Although I wasn't really thinking about that at the time) so 'Abby' was a witch that almost killed Max by stealing his powers before she was defeated. If anybody wants, I could write a mini story about that. To give a little background on Max and Steve, since they're really the 'sidekicks' of this story. Abby does sound like Charlotte, but again, I wasn't really thinking about that.

angel: I'm actually around your age (Early teens)! Kind of funny. That's good that you get a's & b's. I'm homeschooled myself, but having good grades is important. Thank _you_ for all of your compliments. They make my day too, and encourage me to keep writing. And I'm glad I helped you with your writers block :)

* * *

Chapter Nineteen

Remnants

Neither Ava, nor Liz got any sleep after that, despite how tired they were. Liz couldn't remember anything past being enveloped by fire, so Ava had to fill her in. They both were sitting on Ava's rumpled bed, staring off into space. "Why did I see what was happening?" At Liz's quizzical look, the redhead quickly explained. "While you were regaining your memories, I could see them. I knew how you felt, what was going through your head, sights, smells, sounds, feelings- all of it." Liz raised an eyebrow, and Ava immediately felt another surge of happiness. Liz was back! Really back! "You saw everything that happened in my entire life, except for what happened after Pnígo wiped my memory?" The brunette stated. Ava nodded. "Prove it. Just because." Ava looked back on Liz's memories, finding it hard to separate them from her own. "When you were 10, you were chasing your sister, Amy, around a gym during a game of tag. You had socks on, and she tripped you. You landed hard on your right arm, breaking your wrist. She tried to apologize when you got home, but you pushed her away. You got a blue cast, and only after your mom made you both stay in one room together for several hours did you forgive her." Liz gasped, staring at her friend. "Only my family knew about that. You really do have my memories," She breathed. Ava nodded, then froze. "I can hear my dad talking outside the door," She whispered. "Ava, I don't hear anything." Ava just motioned for her to hide. Liz slid off the bed, hiding under it just before Mr. Harris knocked. "Ava, it's time to get up," He called. "Okay," Ava called back, acting like she had just woken up. Liz poked her head out, making her way back onto the bed and fixing Ava with a serious look. "What?" The redhead asked curiously. "I think I know why you could see my memories, and why you knew your dad was coming when I didn't hear anything." Ava's green eyes were filled with interest. "Why?" Liz hesitated. "Somehow…. I think you developed a new power. I think you're a telepath. You can read people's minds."

o(O)o

Jemma stumbled out of her room, a headache pounding behind her eyes. A spark of irritation hit her when she opened the door right in front of her dad- what? Why was she suddenly irritated? The brunette made her way downstairs, ducking out the door after downing an Advil. It helped, but not a lot. Early that morning, Ava had texted her, saying that Liz had her memories back and that they all needed to meet. So that brought her to now, where she was biking down the road towards her friend's house.

o(O)o

Marie, Jemma, Max, and Steve all met at the end of Ava's driveway. "Why are you two here?" Jemma asked curiously, before Marie could say something snotty. "We.. er… Ava called us," Max said quickly. Marie raised one eyebrow before they made their way up to the door. Mr. Harris opened it. "Hello!" He greeted them cheerfully. "Ava invited us over," Jemma explained. Mr. Harris nodded. "She's upstairs." The four teens filed past him and up the stairs, Marie doing the honors of knocking on the door. Ava opened it, Liz standing behind her. Once everyone was inside and the door closed again, Marie and Jemma practically tackled Liz in a hug. "You're alive! You're back! You're really back!" Marie cried, tears dripping down her face and soaking into the borrowed blue shirt that Liz was wearing. "I'm back," Liz whispered, finally getting some sort of picture as to what the other three mermaids had gone through when she was supposedly 'dead' and had lost her memories. Finally, Marie and Jemma released her, sitting on the bed. Marie sniffed, wiping her face with one sleeve. Ava turned to Max and Steve, a question in her eyes. "Why are you guys here?" "They said that you called them" Marie pointed out smugly. "Er... we came to check on you. See if you were okay," Steve muttered, pointedly looking anywhere except the four girls. After an awkward silence, Ava moved over to the nightstand, holding up a piece of paper with a symbol etched onto it in pencil. "Do any of you recognize this?" The two boys shook their heads, but Marie squinted at it. "I feel like I know it, but I've never seen it before. It's... familiar and not familiar at the same time." Jemma nodded in agreement. Ava sighed. "Before Liz regained her memories, she drew this over a dozen times, each time getting clearer. This is the finished product, and we both felt like we knew it, but didn't. It's kind of a contradiction. It's complex and not complex, familiar and not familiar. I did an image search on it, but the search only came up with the image hosting site I used." "Maybe it's a remnant?" The entire room turned to look at Steve. "What do you mean?" Liz asked. "Umm… a remnant is like, a residue. Something left in your mind by having contact with Pnígo's mind. Maybe she left the image of that symbol in your mind by accident." "That makes since," Liz mused. "'Course, I'm not the expert on this sort of thing. I've barely been a mermaid for two weeks, and my grasp on magic and telepathy is still a little loose." Ava shifted. "Umm…. this morning… when Liz regained her memories… I could see all of her memories. They were in my head, and now… I know everything about her…." She fell silent. Max stared at her. "Is it possible that you might be a Telepath?" He asked curiously. "Umm… yeah. Just after that happened, I heard my dad talking outside of my room, but Liz didn't hear anything. I think I heard his thoughts. So… yeah. I think I am a Telepath." The entire room was silent. "You can read minds," Jemma finally stated. "Yes… I think so, anyway." The brunette stared at her. "Wow. Can you hear what I'm thinking right now?" Ava squirmed, obviously uncomfortable. "Yes. I can hear that you're wondering if we're developing new powers, and whether or not it has something to do with the full moon last night." The redhead turned to Max and Steve. "The only strange thing is- aside from the obvious- is that I can't hear you two. It's just blank." Max breathed a silent sigh of relief- he hated telepaths for a reason. Not so much the people, but their ability to pry into your thoughts, your only true sanctuary, and spill them out to the world. "Steve and I have encountered telepaths before. We don't particularly like our minds being read, so we learned to shield. You can't read our thoughts unless our shields are down. Some telepaths, ones who have been properly trained in their powers, can force their way into people's minds, by breaking their shields," Max explained. Ava simply nodded slowly. "Can you teach me? I can't shut the thoughts out, and it's too loud. If I go to school, I think I might go insane. It's loud enough in here, with only five other people." "Sure. I can teach you a few things- and the rest of you too. Telepathy is actually a pretty common power, and some telepaths don't exactly have a code of ethics. I'll teach you about that too," Max glanced over at the other girls. "Have any of you developed other powers? It might be related to the full moon, like Jemma was thinking about."

o(O)o

Slowly, Liz and Marie shook their heads. Jemma just stayed still, suspicion flooding through her. "I might have developed something…." She said slowly. "This morning, I opened my door right in front of my dad and suddenly felt annoyed, even though there was absolutely no reason for me to be annoyed. Though really, that isn't much to go off of." "Could be an early sign of Empathy?" Steve mused. "Who knows? But it's Monday, and we have to get to school," Marie pointed out. Liz shifted uncomfortably. "There's one more thing. I need a convincing alibi to explain why I disappeared for all of yesterday and the last two nights." Max folded his arms. "Simple. You were kidnapped, and managed to escape." The four girls turned to him, and Liz raised an eyebrow. "I was kidnapped. You really think that'll work?" "Sure it will. Steve and I have used it a couple times. You were kidnapped on Saturday night, and woke up in a boatshed across the city. You didn't see your kidnappers, and managed to escape last night." "It could work," Marie shrugged. "It's a solid alibi, and if you show any signs of being nervous, you can just put it down to the trauma of the experience." Liz rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll just grab my old clothes, and put on a convincing appearance. It shouldn't be too hard, since I was actually kidnapped." Everyone winced: that day was something they never wanted to remember again.

o(O)o

Liz pushed her arms through the sleeves of her tattered grey shirt. It had been such a pretty one, with little sequins along the neckline and sleeves. Now, half the sequins were gone and there were several large holes in it, mostly around the bottom. It had been simple enough to use her fingernails to put a few small scratches on her legs, and to put make her shorts a little frayed. The brunette opened the door of the bathroom, and immediately the five people outside looked uncomfortable. It was too close to how Liz looked when they had found her in the cave- far too close. "Now, let's go put on a show."

Ava, Jemma, and Marie stopped about a block away from Liz's house. Liz kept walking, breaking into a run. The other three girls watched her vanish around the corner of a house, staring after her for almost a minute after she was gone. Finally, Jemma shook herself out of her daze. "We have to get to school," She reminded them. Marie nodded silently, starting to walk towards the high school.

o(O)o

Liz ran down the street, ducking between houses until she finally reached her own home. The brunette knocked hastily on the door, throwing a fearful glance behind her for good measure. Her mom opened it, then gasped loudly. "Liz! What happened? Where were you?" Sarah Moore tugged her daughter inside, enveloping her in a hug. Liz let her eyes well up with tears as her mom pulled her into the living room. Her dad came down the hall, Jenny and Amy following him. Jenny and Amy ran over to the couch, practically tackling their sister in a hug. "What happened?" Her dad asked quietly, once everyone had untangled themselves from Liz. The brunette swallowed. "I went out to meet Ava and Jemma. I was a couple blocks away from Jemma's place, where we were going to meet, when somebody jumped out from between two houses and knocked me out. At least, I think that's what happened. When I woke up again, I was tied up in this boatshed. I stayed there for all of Saturday night and Sunday, then late on Sunday night, I managed to loosen the cord they used to tie me up and get out of there. I don't know where the boatshed was- I was concentrated on just getting out of there. I made my way back here, and, well, you know what happened next." Sarah gasped again, wrapping her arms back around her daughter. Liz just leaned into her, grateful for the comfort.

o(O)o

Ava stepped into the hallway of the school, Jemma and Marie beside her. Immediately, the red-haired girl gasped and clutched her head. Jemma wasn't much better, tears dripping from her eyes even as she actually snarled at a kid. "Guys! What's wrong?!" Marie placed one hand on Jemma's shoulder, then jumped back as her normally gentle friend clawed her. "Don't touch me," She hissed, before tears streamed down her face again. "I'm just tired of this! I want to be normal, and not deal with this," She cried out softly before standing up straight again, looking worried. "We have to get to class. The teacher's going to be so mad if we're late." Ava was still clutching her head, tears pouring from her eyes as her face was twisted into a grimace of pain. Her lips moved in words faster that Marie could follow, just forming hissed scraps of language. _Got a quiz-have to get-faster-move!-get out-I don't care-stupid people-out of my way!-gotta get to class-I wonder what's-cafeteria?-for lunch?_ Jemma was switching from one emotion to another, fast than she could comprehend. _Angerfearpanicurgencysadness._ The brunette finally just opened her mouth and screamed. The effect was immediate and devastating. Everyone in the hallway dropped to the floor, collapsing like marionettes whose strings had been cut. Jemma was left alone among the unconscious people, the emotions still coursing through her. She fell to her knees, sobbing over what she had done.

* * *

The empathy and telepathy that Jemma and Ava have are really based off of what I think that it would feel like to have those powers, so if it's not accurate to any specific universe, that's why. Since Jemma has Empathy (She can feel people's emotions, if I didn't make that very clear. That happens sometimes), I also gave her Inflicting, a sub-set of Empathy. Inflicting is the ability to shove emotions into people's minds, making them feel pain or anger or sadness. That's how she was able to knock out all those people.

Happy New Year! (Almost)


	20. Chapter 20: Control

I have no excuses. It has been almost two months. But, the plus side is that this is the longest chapter yet! Of course, I ended the previous chapter on a cliffhanger and it's certainly not my best work, so maybe that doesn't make up for it. Enjoy, and there's an important notice at the end of this chapter.

* * *

Chapter Twenty

Control

Marie's eyes fluttered open, the black-haired pyrokinetic immediately gasping in pain. A headache pounded behind her eyes, no doubt a side effect of whatever Jemma had done. The brunette in question was on the knees on the floor, weeping. Slowly, Marie got to her feet, swaying as dizziness rushed through her for a moment. "Jemma, what happened?" The Empath turned, eyes still glistening. "I couldn't control it. I felt everyone's emotions, Marie, everyone's at once. It was too much- way too much." A moan split the silence, drawing their attention over to the waking Ava. "What happened?" She groaned. Marie helped her up, the redhead looking around with wide eyes. "Jemma- how?" The brunette just shook her head. "I don't know how. It just happened. I couldn't control it, and somehow I knocked everyone out." The sound of pounding feet reached their ears, and Marie tried to scramble upright, but landed back on the floor as a wave of dizziness swept over her. Max and Steve came around the corner, talking in low voices. They stopped dead in their tracks, staring at the hallway of unconscious people and the three mermaids. "What happened?" Steve asked, a flash of understanding reaching his eyes. "It was too much, wasn't it?" Jemma nodded slowly, making her way upright and wobbling a little. Max knelt down, pressing his fingers against an unconscious boy's neck. "They're alive, which is good. We have to get out of here, now." He glanced up at Ava. "You're telepathic- can you wipe their minds?" "What? No- I only just discovered my new power this morning, remember?" The redhead explained. Max nodded, his head snapping up when he heard footsteps approaching. "We have to get out of here. Now." Steve darted forwards. "Everyone grab onto me." The six people disappeared, leaving no trace that they had ever been there just as a group of students walked around the corner.

o(O)o

They reappeared out on the lawn, the three mermaids stumbling hard. They still weren't used to that feeling of just disappearing and reappearing elsewhere. "We still have to go to school," Jemma pointed out. "Yeah, you two cannot go to school like this. You'll end up revealing yourselves, or lose control of your powers again." Max folded his arms, glancing around to make sure no one was nearby. Marie chafed at his slightly condescending tone. "We can take care of ourselves, thank you very much," The pyrokinetic shot back. "Really? It kind of looks like they can't control their powers, and will probably reveal themselves or get in trouble if they go to school." Marie fumed silently, little flames snapping into existence around her fingers. Jemma stepped in between them, her hands held out. "Stop it, you two. You're projecting, and I really don't need more people making me feel emotions that aren't mine," The Chlorokinetic snapped. The flames winked out, leaving only faint wisps of smoke, and Max uncrossed his arms. "We've been doing this for longer than you have. We know what we're doing- you don't," Steve pointed out. "We just want to help, and believe me, going back into school isn't going to do anything good." Jemma relaxed slightly, the anger fading a lot. Of course, it still simmered in the background because of Marie, but she wasn't about to rip anyone's throat out. The fact that Steve was completely calm helped too. She latched on to that, trying to use it as an anchor. "I'm with Max and Steve. I won't- _can't,_ go back there. I'll probably end up knocking everyone out again, or accidentally hurting them, or worse. Ava, the pain I felt from you means that you can't go back either. At least until we learn some control," Jemma voiced.

"Fine," Marie conceded. "But what are we going to tell your parents?" Jemma shrugged. "I'm sick, and Ava… can't you teach her some sort of mental trick to make them let her off the hook? It'll look suspicious if we're sick at the same time." Steve nodded. "My mom can show her how to influence minds." "How does your mom know how to do it? Is she a telepath as well?" Ava asked slowly. "Yeah. My mom's a telepath," The brown-haired boy admitted. "Your mom is a telepath. What, is your entire family supernatural?" Marie exclaimed. "Kind of. It's from my mom's side of the family, so Dad doesn't have powers, but yeah. Grandma can create illusions, and my aunt can heal at an extraordinary rate. Kind of like Wolverine, from X Men, just without the claws," Steve added with a laugh. Marie simply stared at him. "Anyway, let's head over to my house. My mom'll be home, since she's homeschooling my little brother. He's a phaser, and can't exactly control his powers yet." The brunette hastily amended his statement at the quizzical looks he got from the three girls. "A phaser is someone who can walk through walls, or floors- any kind of barrier, really. Grab on." He advised them before winking out of existence.

o(O)o

The group of people reappeared inside someone's backyard, on a patio. The entire yard, which was actually rather large, had a high wooden fence around it, keeping out prying eyes. Marie let go of Steve's arm like it was a snake, shivering. "I will never get used to that," The black-haired girl muttered. Steve led the way up to the screen door, fishing keys out of his pocket and unlocking it. "Come on in," He invited them, slipping inside. "Hi mom," He called, shutting the screen door behind his companions. A little boy, around 11 suddenly dropped out of the ceiling, passing through the floor and popping up again to run over. The eyes of the three girls were about as wide as saucers- being told that Steve's little brother could walk through walls was one thing, actually seeing it was another thing altogether. The youngest Taylor stopped in front of Max and Steve. "Hi Max!" "Hi Jimmy," The taller boy greeted the kid. A harried woman with dark brown hair thumped down the stairs, a book in one hand. "James Logan Taylor! Get back up here!" She caught sight of the six other people in her living room. "Oh hi Max!" She greeted the black-haired boy as she hurried down the last few stairs. "Who're your friends?" She asked Steve. The brunette turned to the three girls. "Ava, Jemma, and Marie, meet Beth Taylor, my mom. Mom, meet Ava Harris, Jemma Thompson, and Marie Jackson." Beth smiled. "Hello!" "Nice to meet you," Jemma greeted the older woman. "Steve said that you could help us with something." Beth raised one eyebrow. "Really? What can I do for you?" Ava shifted uncomfortably. "I recently developed Telepathic abilities, and I can't control them. Steve said that since you were a telepath, you could teach me." Beth nodded slowly. "Ah. Does anyone else in your family have powers?" "No." "When did you start to develop them?" "Yesterday. We think that it might be tied to the full moon, since Jemma developed what appears to be Empathy." "Why do you think that? Developing powers can be tied to other occurrences, such as stress or excitement, or physical changes." Ava hesitated. "Because we gained our other powers during a full moon, and because during the new moon, all of us ended up in a pool beneath Isla la Luna." "Isla la Luna? How did you get there? I've heard of some people being caught in moon-trances, but that only happens when they've been in contact with a specific type of magic, or they're associated with the moon or ocean." Beth's eyes widened for a moment. "You three are mermaids, aren't you?" "Yes… And it's not just the three of us. Our other friend, Liz Moore, is a mermaid as well. But she's currently at her house, because she was kidnapped by a Siren and has to keep up the excuse she gave to her parents." "Kidnapped by a Siren?" Beth asked incredulously. "There hasn't been a Siren around here for almost a decade!" She turned to her son, who was adamantly not looking at her. "Steve…." She began in a warning tone. "Why didn't you tell me that there was a Siren around here?" "Ummm…. we thought we could handle it?" "Steven Taylor. You mean to say that you thought you could handle a Siren on your own, after she had kidnapped someone?" Steve muttered something unintelligible, looking down at his shoes. "I didn't hear you…." "Yes…" He muttered, a little louder. "You have fought witches, vampires, and all other sorts of supernatural creatures over the past year. But you are in NO WAY equipped to battle a FULLY-FLEDGED SIREN!" Beth shouted.

Ava, Marie, Jemma, and Max shrank back a little. Max had been on the receiving end of the Taylor matriarch's anger before, and it was not an experience he wanted to repeat. Jimmy phased halfway through the floor, only keeping his eyes above the carpet. Beth finally calmed down, giving the other five people a smile. "Sorry about that. Of course I'll help you learn control, Ava. It can be more than a little scary- and painful- when you don't have any control over your abilities. When I gained my powers, I didn't have anyone to teach me. For a while, I couldn't even leave the house until I learned how to build shields around my mind." The taller woman started to head up the stairs, half-turning to Ava. "Come on then!" The redhead followed nervously, casting a quick look back at the others.

o(O)o

Liz sat on her bed, her eyes distant. It had been a couple hours since she had returned home, and after the police had taken a statement from her, she was pretty much left to her own devices. Her mom had forced her to eat left-over macaroni and cheese, before sending her up to bed early, thinking that she needed to rest after her ordeal. But Liz couldn't sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, her sleep was haunted by flashes of bizarre objects and places and people. She thought it might be the remnants of Pnígo's mind touching hers, but she wasn't sure. Her world was usually a mix of school and doing stuff with her friends. It had been like that for years. But now, over the span of three weeks, her entire world had transformed from ordinary to extraordinary. She had gained mystical powers, a tail when she touched water, had (Kind of) befriended a pair of boys who had powers like her own, been kidnapped by a Siren, tortured, almost died, and now she was lying to the police. She had always stayed mostly grounded in reality, got good grades, didn't misbehave in school. All her teachers said that she would go far. So how had her life managed to go from normal to extraordinary?

With a loud sigh, she collapsed back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Might as well try to sleep. After all, she kind of deserved it. Liz closed her eyes, drifting away from reality...

 _She swam through the ocean, passing under a carved stone arch. Glowing globes of glass floated near her, partially encased in solid bluish ice. A marvel of cryokinetic craftsmanship, especially since the ice was etched with intricate spiraling patterns that even the most skilled sculptor would be hard-pressed to duplicate without chipping or cracking the ice. A sharp tug on the seaweed ropes tangled around her alerted her to another attempt at escape. "Quit it!" She snarled, whipping her head around to glare at her prisoner. The blue-haired mermaid behind her struggled against her bonds, fear filling her sea-green eyes. She growled at her captor, who simply flicked one hand. Tendrils of green split off of the ropes, wrapping around her mouth. "Be silent. We are nearly there and my goal is almost complete," She snapped. She started to swim again, cutting through the water towards the dark entrance of the cave._

Liz shivered in her bed, curling tighter under her blankets.

 _The underwater tunnel was dark, with the only light source coming from a luminescent orb of greek fire in her left hand. Her captive was starting to struggle more, obviously afraid. Finally, the two Mer swam into a large cave. Before them, half-shrouded in shadows, was a monolithic statue, carved entirely of black volcanic rock and marble. The statue depicted a mermaid whose tail was that of a sea serpent. Her eyes were slitted and cat-like and she held a glass square of something in her cupped hands. It seemed to swirl and shift, forming fearsome faces of something strangely ambiguous. She grinned, snapping her fingers as she floated in front of a stone alter. The seaweed ropes unwound themselves from around her, dragging her captive onto the alter and pinning her down. She struggled, her sea-green tail lashing frantically as she tried to escape. Palírroia only raised her pale arms to the ceiling of the dark cavern, greek fire lighting up in the bronze sconces around the room. "Kyría tou skotadioú, kyría tou kakoú, sas parakaló. Dóro mou me ti dýnami sas, me tis gnóseis sas apó ó, ti to adýnamo apagórevan kai fóvo. Kánte mou éna plásma tou skótous, enós apó tous ypirétes sou , kyría kakó."_ Lady of darkness, evil lady, please. Gift me with your strength, with your knowledge than the weak prohibited and fear. Make me a creature of darkness, one of your servants, lady evil. _Palírroia brought an obsidian dagger from behind her back, swimming steadily towards the terrified mermaid on the alter. The trapped mermaid whimpered, trying to cry for help from underneath her seaweed gag. Palírroia simply smirked, raising the dagger above her captive. The dagger fell and a spray of crimson blood stained the water of the cave. Palírroia waved her hand, letting the dagger drift to the stone floor as the blood formed a swirling bubble. She brought it to the statue, letting the blood-bubble swirl around the cube in its hands. "Apodechtheí aftí ti thysía, kyría kakó. Apodechtheí aftí_ _thysía, evlogeí o doúlos sou me ti dýnami sas."_ Accept this sacrifice, lady evil. Accept this sacrifice and bless your servant with your power. _The water of the cavern began to churn, creating a whirlpool of darkness around Palírroia. "Stop! Palírroia, what have you done!" Someone shouted. The mermaid turned to look at the entrance of the cave, where a merman floated. He stared, horrified at the corpse of the mermaid on the alter, then up at the mermaid in the whirlpool. "I have done what I must, Karcharías. With Kyría Kakó's power, I can resurrect mother!" "It will consume you, Palírroia! Your mother is dead, she would not want you to die as well!" "I must, Patéras."_ Father.

Liz started shifting in her blankets, the glass of water on her bedside table beginning to churn.

 _"You don't have to do this! We can flee the Queen's wrath, we can go where none will find us. Please, do not fall to the darkness," He pleaded with her. The water around Palírroia started to swirl more viciously, obscuring her from vision. Karcharías was swept backwards as a shockwave of power erupted from where Palírroia had been. He barely managed to right himself before his daughter emerged from the clouded seawater. "Palírroia…" She looked straight at him, her eyes blank and unseeing. She jerked her head to one side. His head snapped sharply to the side, breaking with an audible crack. The new-born Siren swam out of the cave, leaving only death in her wake._

 _She swam up to the surface, her delicate blond head breaking through the water beside the wooden dock. A blond boy stood beside her, his back to her as he untangled a fishing net. She reached one arm out of the water, brushing his sandal-clad heel. He turned, gasping as he saw her and her tail. She smiled, opening her mouth to sing. Her song was enticingly beautiful, luring him closer to her. She reached out her arm again, taking ahold of his. She grinned, revealing sharply pointed teeth as she yanked him into the water. He shrieked, fear overtaking his features. "Poios eísai?" He whispered._ Who are you? _She dragged him under the water, a cloud of red staining the ocean. "I am Pnígo."_

Liz's eyes snapped open and the cup tipped over, water spilling across the carpet. She drew a breath, yanking the covers off of her pajama-clad legs as she got out of bed. The brunette padded over to her dresser, pulling open a wooden drawer and removing a blue journal with a fabric cover. She flipped it open, grabbing a pen from her desk drawer as she crawled back into bed.

 _September 13_ _th_ _2015_

 _I can't believe it's only been a day or so since Pnígo kidnapped me. I have my own memories back, but… I can still feel her… its memories in my brain. Her name was Palírroia. Palírroia Okeanó Ouranó. Her father was Karcharías. She lost her mother to depths sickness after being caught in a fishing accident, and she was so_ _ **angry.**_ _She turned to Kyría Kakó- Lady Evil- in an attempt to access the power to bring her mother back. She kidnapped a young mermaid named Asterías, sacrificing her upon Kyría Kakó's alter and beseeched her to make her one of her servants. She thought she would have control of that dark power, that she would remain herself and be able to give it up once she resurrected her mother. It overtook her. Her father tried to stop her, but it was too late. She became a puppet, with her knowledge and magic and body in use, but accessed by one of Kyría Kakó's dark souls. She killed her father and left her remaining living family behind forever. Since then, she's raged across the planet. She's fed on humans and animals alike, draining mermaids to keep herself alive and beautiful once she became Pnígo. It's a little ironic. Palírroia means Tide and Pnígo means Drown. The Tides Drown._

 _God, I wish the memories were gone. I can't fall asleep without her memories floating to the top of my brain, played out in full color and surround-sound. They're usually horrible, full of death and blood. It's almost sad. She lost her mother, then she was possessed by an evil soul. Palírroia was a nice girl. She was kind, gentle, and happy. Pnígo…. she was a sadistic bitch. In one of her memories, she kidnapped a man and his entire family because he escaped her. His entire family was tortured to death in front of the man's eyes, then he too was slain in the same way. It was absolutely horrible. I couldn't wake up when I was dreaming it. Pnígo was sapping their emotions the entire time, using them to make her feel pain. She couldn't feel. She couldn't feel emotion- no happiness, no love. She could only feel anger, pain, pleasure._

She paused for a moment, shuddering as she remembered. Those memories in particular were horrific, especially for someone who hadn't even been kissed. Ugh.

 _Let's just say that she was a rather… active person. Especially with…. ah… men. Those are not memories I EVER want to relive. I'd prefer to wait until I'm at least 18 before ever remembering that part of her life, thank you very much._

o(O)o

"Envision a bubble around your mind…." Beth whispered, her eyes closed. The brunette woman was sitting cross-legged on the large cushion, her hands folded and her face peaceful. Ava was sitting across from her on another cushion, legs also folded. She fidgeted as she attempted to do as Beth wished, trying to get comfortable. That whole 'lotus position' thing was not easy in any capacity, even for someone who had taken gymnastics as a child. "I am going to attempt to enter your mind," Beth murmured. Ava felt _something_ brushing against her, against her thoughts. She recoiled, trying to shove the intruder out. It was extremely bizarre, that was for sure. She shoved harder, forcing Beth out of her mind. "Well done," Beth smiled. "That will work against intruders. The shield- the bubble around your mind- will help keep careless thoughts out. Other people tend to broadcast their thoughts loudly. It's almost like they are all alone in their minds, so they try to fill that emptiness with noise. Like… if you're home alone. You want to turn lights on and maybe even play music, to try and make it less scary. That's what I used to do. Humans- all of us, really- fear the dark. It's a primeval fear, from when we were hunted in the darkness by things that were both more and less than human." Ava nodded, green eyes fixed upon Beth. "What do you mean by… both more and less than human?" The Taylor matriarch tilted her head to one side, considering her answer. "In the distant past, when humans were still cavemen- Neanderthals, homo sapiens, that sort of thing- other creatures also walked the earth. There were sabretooth tigers, Mammoths, and other prehistoric beasts, but there were also others. The earliest of the Vampyr clans were among those who hunted us. They stalked in the night alongside creatures from the darkest parts of mythology. Llamhigyn Y Dwr, Kelpies, Tsuchigumo, Bugbears, Cockatrices, Strix, and other such monsters walked the earth. As prehistoric humans grew stronger, those other creatures crept away to hide. The discovery of fire in particular played a part in their withdrawal. They dissolved into the stuff of legends, the monsters under the bed, the creatures you fear hide in the shadows." Ava shifted again on her cushion, casting a nervous glance over at the dark space under the bed. "Don't worry. The house is warded against those sorts of creatures," The older woman reassured the teenager. "How has no one ever found evidence of those monsters? If they exist, wouldn't the world know about them?" Ava was genuinely curious now- not that she hadn't been before, but she always did like history. "The world does know about them. They simply choose to ignore the proof. If someone is killed by a vampire, they'll know what happened. But the thing is, Ava, the world doesn't _want_ to recognize that the prehistoric beasts from myth and legend really exist. How much do you know about Greek mythology?" "I know quite a bit. The Minotaur, Arachne, Medusa, Harpies, that sort of thing," The redhead answered, brushing a lock of fiery hair out of her eyes. "Then you know about what sorts of terrifying monster the ancient Greeks wrote about. The Minotaur is a prime example. It's a human/bull hybrid who eats human flesh, and forced the city of Athens to send sacrifices to it each year. That is the type of monster that the world would have to face if they accepted its existence. Humans have spent centuries secure in the knowledge that those creatures are simply stories to frighten little children. If your parents discovered a Strix, a bird with a long golden beak that drinks blood and has pupilless yellow eyes, in their house, what would they think? They would think they were insane or something, yes? But if the Strix attacked someone and was seen, it would incite panic. It's one of the earliest lessons you are taught, that monsters like the Vampire or Strix are nothing except fairy tales. If the Strix was real, why not werewolves? Or Kelpies? Or the Minotaur? This is why no one will accept the evidence that is right in front of them. They're scared of it." Ava was silent for a moment. "Thank you, for telling me this. And for showing me how to control my abilities," She said quietly. Beth unfolded herself from the cushion, standing and holding out a hand to help Ava up. "How do you sit like that for so long?" Ava asked, walking down the stairs behind Steve's mother. "Long practice. It's not exactly easy at first, but it just takes practice. I often find that meditation helps with exercising telepathy, so that you can focus directly on using your ability, rather than being distracted. It works especially well if you're making long distance connections," The older brunette replied.

o(O)o

Downstairs, Marie, Jemma, Max, and Steve were sitting awkwardly on the couch. Jemma could feel the irritation still pouring off Marie in waves- she was still annoyed with Max. Max was feeling similarly, while Steve was just slightly nervous. The brunette Empath shifted, her bare hand accidentally brushing against Marie. Immediately, emotions rushed through her like a dam breaking. She could feel everything Marie was feeling- irritation, boredom, the slight, ever-present want to be in the water, worry about how Liz was fairing, and curiosity about what exactly Beth was teaching Ava. It was exhilarating, just the rush of feelings. She yanked her hand away from Marie's, still slightly high on the heady concoction of emotions. Marie looked over at her curiously, slender fingers tapping a staccato rhythm on her bare knees. Finally, Steve's mother and Ava came downstairs. "Well, we're done. Now get back to school! Steve, you and Max should already have been back. Marie, it would probably be best if you go with them," The Taylor Matriarch instructed them. Steve and Max stood, Marie following suit. The pyrokinetic cast one last glance at Ava and Jemma before heading out into the backyard with the two boys. Steve took their hands, the three people vanishing in an instant.

Jemma stood as well. "I should get home…." She voiced uncertainly. "Of course. Ava, you should probably go home as well," Beth showed them to the door, but before Jemma could leave, Beth called her back. "Jemma… I am not an Empath, but I know how addicting your abilities can be. Be careful." The Chlorokinetic mermaid blinked, slightly startled. She nodded, hurrying over to Ava. Both of the mermaids hurried away home, already formulating excuses for their parents.

* * *

Alright. Because this story is kind of turning out to be less of a fanfiction and more of an original story (Kind of), do you guys think I should move it to Fictionpress? I've got an account on there (Even though I don't have any stories posted yet), and it's the same username as I have here. There's a poll on my profile for it, so please vote!


	21. Chapter 21: Careless

Hey, folks! I know I've been gone for a while, and that this chapter isn't particularly satisfying. It's mostly filler, with a touch of suspicion, but next one is where we get into the good stuff!

* * *

Chapter Twenty One

Careless

Ava crept inside through the back door, trying to make it to her room without being noticed. She was almost halfway up the stairs before someone caught her. "Ava, why aren't you in school?" Abigail Harris was standing at the base of the stairs, her blond hair done up in a tight bun. Her smart grey pantsuit was as impeccable as always, and compared to Ava's faded jean shorts, wine-colored blouse, and strappy brown sandals, she made her redheaded daughter feel puny. "Ummm…." Ava reached out to her mother's mind, almost being bowled over by the noise of her thoughts. _You called me home from school to see me…. you wanted to see your only daughter for the first time in weeks….you called me home…_ She repeated, forcing her will into her mother's mind. Shakily, Ava withdrew. She almost collapsed from the effort, swaying slightly on her feet. Her mother blinked, shaking her head slightly as she looked up at her daughter. "Ava. It's so good to see you. I called you home from school to talk about something." The redhead mentally sighed. She hadn't expected the energy drain from making her mother believe something, and just wanted to go upstairs and rest. Maybe eat something and drink some water to regain some energy. "You've been doing well with your grades, and I have a few days off. What do you think about us going to get your permit sometimes?" Ava blinked, effecting a look of surprise. Although she had gotten the whole ethics lecture from Beth, she wouldn't be a teenager if she didn't take an opportunity when she got it. She was sixteen, after all, and had been for a while. "Are you sure, mom?" She asked. "Yes, Ava. I'm sure. You're sixteen, and driving is an important life skill. Oh, and since you're already home, you can just stay home. Your grades are good, so you can afford to skip a day." Ava barely managed to restrain her grin, instead opting to nod and head upstairs. Abigail went back to whatever she had been doing, while Ava padded down the hall to her room.

The aerokinetic mermaid flopped onto her white bed, staring up at the ceiling. A grin spread across her face. She could read minds! She could read freaking minds! Sure, the whole 'mermaid-with-magical-powers-after-falling-into-a-magic-pool' revelation was much more stunning, but this was pretty cool. It was just like one of those crazy comic books she'd read a few years ago- just to make her parents mad that she was wasting her allowance on flimsy paper picture books, of course. She rolled over, giggling slightly. Her stomach growled loudly. Her abilities were still rather drained from her foray into her mother's mind, but- hey! How come she was losing energy from using her new-found Telepathy, but using her aerokinetic and cryokinetic powers didn't drain her? She twirled her finger in the air, letting her powers free a little. A small breeze swirled around her finger. Nothing. It didn't make her feel weak, or anything! She flicked her finger, directing the breeze towards the metal jewelry tree on her dresser. The necklaces and bracelets tinkled faintly in the wind. She sat up, exercising her abilities further. A faint, glimmering patina of frost grew on the silver-colored branches, overlaying the sculpted leaves and twigs. Ava stopped, the frost gradually beginning to melt without the cold wind sustaining it. That was certainly interesting.

o(O)o

Marie sat in the classroom, her head propped up on one hand as her hazel eyes watched the Science teacher. Mrs. Porter was jabbering on about Biology, but the pyrokinetic wasn't listening. She was contemplating the recent development of Ava and Jemma's new powers. _If they have new powers, what about me and Liz? Will we develop new powers? What will they be?_ "Ms. Jackson! Have you heard anything I've said?!" Marie's head snapped up and she looked at the teacher with a confused look on her face. "Uhhh.." The rest of the students laughed, but Mrs. Porter just looked mad. "Marie, go to the Principal's office," The severe-looking brunette teacher ordered. Rolling her eyes, Marie rose from her chair and slung her black backpack over one shoulder, pulling the door open and walking out.

"Marie, you have to pay attention in class! This has happened too many times- I mean, twice today?" Principal Wilkins tapped his thin, sticklike fingers on the polished wood of the desk, his grey eyes fixed on her face. Marie internally sighed, preparing her 'sorry, I'll never do it again' routine. She usually did pay attention, only zoning out occasionally, but the whole 'friend-being-kidnapped-by-a-Siren-almost-dying-and-becoming-a-mermaid' kind of took up a lot of brain power. "I'm sorry, Principal Wilkins. It's just…. I've been kind of distracted lately. My friend, Liz Moore, she disappeared on Friday, and I'm really worried about her." The black-haired teenager cast her eyes down at the dark wood desk, focusing on the metal nameplate that read 'Edward Wilkins, Principal'. "Oh, Marie. I'll let you off this time, but please try to focus more in class. Now go along." He pulled a folder from the top of the stack on his desk and opened it, signaling that the meeting was over. Marie stood, leaving the office. It was only lunchtime, so she settled herself in one of the empty hallways.

She was halfway through her PB&J when she heard the sound of footsteps. She glanced up, seeing that three girls, all of them in five-inch heels were standing in front of her. "Can I help you?" "Yes. I'm looking for Marie Jackson?" One of them, a blond, asked in a peppy, sugary-sweet voice. She tilted her head to one side, blond, gelled curls falling over one bare shoulder. Her strapless top was orange, covered in ruffles and paired with a short pink skirt. Her absurdly-high heels were spindly and bright orange and her face was covered in layers of crazy makeup. All crazy bright. "I'm Marie," Marie answered bluntly, taking another bite of her sandwich. "Patricia Nichols. This is Melissa Shaw-" Another blond, this time in a radioactive teal dress so short that it was barely acceptable for school "-and Janet Hawkens." Janet had black hair and was wearing a pair of tiny jean shorts and a rose-pink spaghetti strap top. "Whaddya want?" Marie asked, still holding her sandwich in one hand. Melissa reached out and grabbed her sandwich, wrinkling her nose at it. "Hey!" Marie stood, anger boiling beneath her skin. "Oooohhhh, weirdo's getting all fierce…." Janet mocked. Patricia's heels clicked on the concrete floor as she stalked around Marie. "You _really_ wear _that_? It looks like something you dug out of the garbage!" Marie looked down at her faded shorts and green tanktop with confusion. "My clothes are fine," She replied, her hazel eyes flashing with anger. Melissa tossed the sandwich into the nearby garbage can neatly, and Marie snapped. "That was my lunch," She snarled. "Whatcha gonna do? Attack us?" Patricia laughed, her voice high and shrill. Marie's eyes flamed dangerously, the garbage can behind Patricia starting to rattle. Janet looked at the can, her eyes widening. "How are you doing that? Stop it!" She shrieked as the rattling grew stronger. Marie backed away, her own eyes wide. She wasn't doing anything! The green can stopped rattling as soon as her anger vanished, and a grin slowly spread across Marie's face. Was this her new power? The girls were visibly rattled, glancing around nervously. The mermaid smiled darkly, focusing on the nearby doorway. She pulled her power upwards to the surface, feeling the familiar warm flush from her pyrokinesis and a strange, new tingle from her other power. The doorknob jiggled rapidly, the door flying open and banging against the brick wall. Patricia, Melissa, and Janet all screamed, whipping around and backing swiftly away. "Wh-what are you doing?!" Melissa cried out. Marie's grin only grew wider as the three girls started to shrink away from her and the door. Another door, further down the hall, started to bang as well. The garbage can started to rattle again, adding its noise to the cacophony. "R-RUNNNN!" Patricia screamed over the sound, starting to scramble away. Janet stumbled in her heels, falling to the floor and stumbling upright as the three of them disappeared around the corner.

Marie stared at her hands, her grin fading as she started to feel slightly weak. The doors slowed to a stop, the garbage can finally tipping over. Spots swam in her vision, her stomach growling. _So tired…._ The dark-haired teenager wanted nothing more than to just plop down and sleep in the middle of the hallway. With an enormous amount of effort, she pulled herself up, not realizing that she had slid down the brick wall onto the floor. Even that small movement made her want to throw up, she was so tired. Marie's eyes started to drift closed, then she forced them open again. Again, they drifted closed and she was out like a light.

o(O)o

"Are you alright?" Someone's voice drifted through her exhausted haze. Marie's eyes flickered open blearily. A black-haired girl was crouching in front of her, her short pixie cut framing a tanned face and worried brown eyes. "I…" Marie began, her eyes drifting closed and open again tiredly. "I'm fine... just tired…" The half-asleep mermaid realized that a bunch of students and the odd member of the faculty had gathered around her. She tried to get up, but stumbled and landed back on the floor. The black-haired girl stood, holding out a hand to help Marie up. The pyrokinetic took it, wobbling as she stood upright. "What happened, Miss Jackson?" The Art Teacher, Mr. Lin, asked her concernedly. "I-" Marie's mind raced; she couldn't exactly tell them that she had discovered a new mermaid power and it had sapped an enormous amount of energy. "I didn't sleep well lately, and I didn't have time to eat breakfast this morning." Mr. Lin nodded slowly. "Make sure it doesn't happen again. Go along to the nurse's office and have her check if you're okay." Marie started to make her way down the hallway, people parting around her.

o(O)o

Jemma sat in her bed, scribbling away in a school notebook with a pencil.

 _Entry 16_

 _It appears that our abilities are affected by the phases of the moon. First, we were compelled to the Moon Pool under Isla la Luna during the new moon, after all of us felt extraordinarily weak. Next, it was a full moon during our battle with Pnígo. I felt my powers grow in strength when the full moon rose, so I'm assuming that the others felt the same. Perhaps our powers are actually tied to the moon?_

\- _Full Moon, our powers are at their strongest_

\- _New Moon, we are at our very weakest and seek shelter in the Moon Pool_

 _I'll have to follow up on this theory later. Maybe there's a way to fight the Moon's compulsion during the New Moon?_

The brunette stopped writing, setting her pencil aside on the bed. Every week, almost every day there was something new to discover about them! Although, she wouldn't be too keen to experience something like what Pnígo subjected them to over the course of days, between sorrow over Liz's supposed death, worry that their friend might be alive and under a Siren's control, and trying to get their friend back, ever again. She picked up her pencil again, drawing a line across the page and adding more under it.

 _We've discovered that there's a lot more to the world than we thought there was. Steve turned out to be a Teleporter, and, apparently, Max is clairvoyant. There's Sirens, Mermaids, and I'll bet there's other magical creatures too. Plus, we've discovered new powers that we have! I'm an Empath, Ava's a Telepath, and Liz & Marie haven't discovered their powers yet. Maybe they'll be, like, Telekinetics! That's a neat power. Or maybe something else, like Photokinesis._

A knock on Jemma's door sent the mermaid into a flurry of motion, tossing her pencil off onto the rug and scrambling under the covers as she shoved her notebook under the pillow. "Come in!" She called, trying to sound sickly. She even threw in a fake cough for extra measure. Her mom entered, a concerned look on her face. She sat on the edge of the bed while Jemma kept the covers tucked all the way up to her chin. "How are you feeling?" "Still icky," Jemma croaked. She tried desperately not to smile- this was why she was a terrible liar. When she tried to lie, she almost always smiled. "Will you be okay to go to school tomorrow?" Kaitlyn asked her daughter. Jemma nodded, feeling the brief bit of curiosity that came with asking a question, worry for her daughter, concern about if this illness would progress. God, the emotions were so sharp and vivid up close! "Er, I think so," Jemma replied. Her mom nodded, rising from the bed and moving over to the door. She vanished into the hallway, closing the door behind her as Jemma sighed in relief.

o(O)o

Ava pulled a blue-and-green striped pool towel from the linen closet, slinging it over one shoulder as she crept down the stairs. "Mom, I'm going down to the beach," She poked her head into her mom's office, mentally sighing at the sight of the files that her mother was flipping through. "Okay. Make sure you have your phone," Her mom instructed distractedly. Ava nodded, padding away in her pink flip flops. She jogged across the road and down the sidewalk towards the beach.

The red-headed mermaid walked down the sand, carefully avoiding the surf as it crept up the beach. She walked behind an outcropping of rock, clambering up the sandy hill behind it. Ava made her way over the dunes, finally walking out of the dunes into the cove. She laid her towel on the sand, grinning as she glanced over at the ocean. The mermaid pulled her wine-colored blouse off, revealing her yellow-and-green striped swimsuit. The shorts just stayed on, as they would just transform along with her. She kicked off her flip flops and ran for the water.

Glimmering white scales replaced her skin, delicate flukes covering her toes as the graceful streamlined shape of her tail shimmered into existence. Ava grinned, diving further into the ocean as she swam. Her tail propelled her forwards in a rush of bubbles as she raced through the water, relishing the feeling of freedom.

o(O)o

Marie stood in the nurse's office as the peppy brunette told her to make sure that she got enough sleep and breakfast. "After all, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" The nurse said cheerfully. She opened the door, ushering Marie out. Mrs. Jackson was waiting outside, looking at Marie with concern. "Are you alright, Marie," She asked her daughter. Marie nodded. "I just haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately and I forgot to eat breakfast today," The teenager explained. "Alright. Make sure you eat something before your next class," The older woman instructed gently, laying one hand on Marie's shoulder. Marie nodded, hugging her mom before walking away, back to where she had left her backpack. Her mom watched her go, eyes narrowed in thought. She had seen Marie eat breakfast that morning. So why was her daughter lying?

* * *

Oh, and if anyone bothers to actually check my moon calendar dates, yes I know they're wrong. I had to do a little tinkering, but we get back on semi-real moon calendar dates in the next chapter.

Further, thank you Ant03071998 for your very generous review and interest in this story!


	22. Message

To the Guest who reviewed, who gave only the name 'Anastasia'.

I might add more powers in the future, but I don't want to make them too OP, so I don't know right now. I do very much mind if you make your own version of this story, so please don't do it.

To everybody else: A new chapter is coming! I've been on a rather lengthy hiatus for the past few months with finishing up schoolwork for the summer, trying to finish a million and one different shows, and getting ready to volunteer at my local museum, but I'm back. Once I'm ready to put the new chapter up, I'm simply going to replace this message with the chapter.

Also, you can count me among the Whovians now. I've been completely and utterly converted :)


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